TREASURY

Citizen Information Project

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether the Citizen Information Project will cover the whole of the UK;
	(2)  whether an independent statutory body will be established to administer the Citizen Information Project;
	(3)  what security measures are planned for the Citizen Information Project;
	(4)  how identity will be verified of individuals wishing to update information held on the Citizen Information Project;
	(5)  whether audit trails will be used on the Citizen Information Project as a means of checking security; and who will be responsible for checking this;
	(6)  what assessments have been made of the (a) size, (b) cost of setting up and (c) the time necessary to set up the Citizen Information Project;
	(7)  what adjustments have been made to the Citizen Information Project since the Cabinet agreement to establish a national identity database;
	(8)  what the purpose is of the Citizen Information Project.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the General Registrar for England and Wales, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Dennis Roberts to Mrs. Claire Curtis-Thomas, dated 10 June 2004
	The Registrar General for England and Wales has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions on the Citizen Information Project (CIP). I have been asked to reply in his absence. (177799, 177840, 177841, 177842, 177795, 177796, 177797 and 177798)
	The objective of CIP is to create, for the public sector, the prime source of address and other core contact information relating to people usually resident in the UK. The feasibility study, conducted in 2003, indicated that the creation of a UK-wide population register could lead to cost and efficiency savings for the public sector.
	With regard to the specific points you raise in relation to security, identity verification, governance and logistics of its potential setting up, all of these points are being considered during the project definition stage, which is currently running. It is scheduled to run until June 2005 at which point the Office for National Statistics will report back to Ministers with proposals for how CIP could be taken forward. Therefore, no decisions have been taken yet on the form in which it would develop but the latest thinking can be found in the evidence supplied by the Registrar General to the Home Affairs Committee on 27 April 2004.
	The CIP project team continues to work closely with all relevant government departments and to ensure that the project takes account of developments elsewhere.

Historic Houses (Pre-owned Assets Tax)

Boris Johnson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what research his Department has commissioned on the effect upon historic houses of the tax on pre-owned assets.

Dawn Primarolo: Owners of historic houses will not be affected unless they have engaged in tax avoidance of the sort targeted by the Government's proposals. If they have, they will have the option—under the proposals set out in the Finance Bill—to bring their property back within the scope of inheritance tax. And that in turn opens the way to claims in due course to the heritage exemption from inheritance tax, if the property is of suitable quality and the necessary commitment is made to provide public access.

Child Care

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what basis he intends not to extend tax credits for employing nannies providing child care to parents who use grandparents and other family members to look after their children.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government announced, on the 17 May, their proposals for consultation on the new Childcare Approval Scheme which will extend the types of good quality child care for which families can get financial support, such as the child care element of the working tax credit. The results of the consultation and the details of the scheme will be made known in due course.

Customs and Excise

James Paice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the future role of HM Customs and Excise at UK sea and airports after its investigation and intelligence work is brought under the control of the Serious and Organised Crime Agency.

John Healey: HM Customs and Excise's expertise in working at the borders to protect national security, collect revenue, facilitate trade and prevent smuggling will continue to play a vital role in the new integrated revenue department, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
	Revenue from customs and excise duties, which raise almost £17 billion each year, are heavily dependent upon the protection afforded at the border. Equally important is the economic imperative to ensure that international trade is facilitated in a way that ensures the UK remains a good place to do business.
	The nature of indirect taxes makes them more vulnerable to attack by fraudsters than direct taxes. Customs has developed strategies for countering such attacks which depend heavily upon their expertise in frontiers work, investigation, and disruption.
	For these reasons HMRC will maintain its frontier role while working with the other agencies that undertake controls at UK borders. Following the creation of the Serious Organised Crime Agency, HMRC will continue to deliver Customs' full range of import and export controls at the UK's frontiers, retaining intelligence resources to support the enforcement of prohibitions and restrictions.

Financial Services Authority

Edward Garnier: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the (a) estimated and (b) outturn set-up costs of the Financial Services Authority were, expressed in (i) capital expenditure and (ii) revenue expenditure terms;.
	(2)  how set-up costs of the Financial Services Authority were accounted for in the public finances;.
	(3)  what the overall outturn revenue expenditure of the Financial Services Authority was in each year since its establishment;.
	(4)  if he will list those bodies whose responsibilities were taken on by the Financial Services Authority as successor; and what the outturn revenue expenditure for each of those bodies was in the final three years of their operation.

Ruth Kelly: For the purposes of this response, 1 December 2001 ("N2") has been taken as the date the Financial Services Authority (FSA) was established, when the FSA was granted its full powers under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. The FSA's financial year ends on 31 March.
	Estimated set-up running costs of the Financial Services Authority (FSA) were £14 million (FSA's annual reports for financial years 1999–00 and 2000–01). Outturn set-up running costs, relating to the new organisational structure of the FSA, were £13.2 million. A further £1.8 million was incurred in relation to the transfer of the UK Listing Authority function from the London Stock Exchange, which was not included in the original estimate. These costs were recovered from FSA fee-payers during the three years including and following N2 and so were not accounted for in the public finances.
	In 1998–99, the FSA also incurred capital expenditure of approximately £37 million, to prepare the FSA's new premises in Canary Wharf, London. Annual depreciation is also being included in the amount charged to FSA fee-payers and is not accounted for in the public finances.
	The overall outturn expenditure of the FSA since it was established (N2) was £69.1 million in the remainder of 2001–02, and £203.1 million in 2002–03. In addition, a £2 million deficit reduction contribution was made in 2002–03 to finance the FSA's pension scheme shortfall.The responsibilities of the bodies the FSA took on as successor, and the outturn expenditure of these bodies for the three financial years of their operation up to and including N2, is shown in the table as follows. In addition, the FSA took responsibility for the UK Listing Authority function from the London Stock Exchange on 1 May 2000. Between 1 May 2000 and N2, FSA outturn expenditure in relation to this function was £17.7 million.
	
		£
		
			 Name of body and/or relevant responsibility of body Outturn expenditure for 1999–2000 Outturn expenditure for 2000–01 Outturn expenditure for April 2001–02 Total 
		
		
			 Investment Management Regulatory Organisation (IMRO) 18.6 16.6 11.7 46.9 
			 Personal Investment Authority (PIA) 44.0 39.9 27.1 111.0 
			 Securities and Futures Authority (SFA) 32.8 33.0 21.2 87.0 
			 Securities and Investments Boards (SIB) (Supervision of banks)(1) 50.2 50.8 35.3 136.3 
			 Securities and Investments Board (SIB) (other regulatory responsibilities) 15.3 15.6 13.7 44.6 
			 HM Treasury Insurance Directors(2) 12.8 5.6 11.4 39.8 
			 Registry of Friendly Societies (RFS) (including the Building Societies Commission (BSC) and Friendly Societies Commission (FSC)) 7.8 8.2 (3)8.4 16 
		
	
	(1) Supervision of banks transferred from the Bank of England to the Securities and Investments Board (SIB) on 1 June 1998.
	(2) Figures for FSA service charge to HM Treasury.
	(3) Budget forecast for full financial year 2001–02. The Registry of Friendly Societies (RFS) was wound up in December 2001.

HIPC Process

John Barrett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to assist those countries which are predicted to exit the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries process with unsustainable debt.

John Healey: The UK fully supports the cancellation of debt of the world's poorest countries through the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. The UK was instrumental in securing international agreement to enhance the original Initiative in 1999, to ensure that as much debt relief as possible is granted to as many countries as possible. The UK continues to be a champion of the HIPC Initiative. We have provided commitments of £2.3 billion of debt relief to eligible countries and have pledged a total of US$474 million through multilateral institutions to support the Initiative further. The UK goes even further than is required under the Initiative, and is committed to providing 100 per cent. debt relief to eligible HIPC countries.
	The HIPC Initiative is delivering real benefits to participating countries. It is providing over $70 billion of debt relief to the 27 counties which have reached Decision Point. It is helping increase annual social expenditure in countries receiving debt relief. Total social spending has increased by around $4 billion since 1999—equivalent to 2.7 per cent. of GDP. On average, health and education spending account for 65 per cent. of the use of HIPC debt relief.
	However, there are countries forecast to exit the Initiative with debt-to-export ratios above the HIPC target of 150 per cent. because of factors beyond their control. The UK continues to push for additional relief to be granted to these countries at Completion Point ("topping up" relief). We successfully campaigned for Niger and Ethiopia to receive such additional relief, resulting in over $800 million in additional relief for two of the world's poorest countries.
	The UK also continues to lobby for a change in the topping up methodology to maximise the quantum of topping up relief. At present, the additional bilateral assistance (ABA) granted by some countries—including the G7—is included when calculating the amount of additional relief to be provided at Completion Point. We are pressing for this ABA to be excluded from this calculation, which could increase the quantum of debt relief delivered to HIPCs by around $1 billion.
	We are also working closely with the IMF and World Bank as they finalise a new debt sustainability framework, which will govern all lending decisions for low-income countries, including those that have participated in HIPC. When operational, this framework will ensure that sufficient official finance is provided in the right blend of grants and highly concessional lending to aid future development without threatening long-term debt sustainability prospects.
	However, all low-income countries will need additional aid to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This is why the UK has proposed the International Finance Facility (IFF), which could provide the much-needed substantial increase in aid—in the form of grants, concessional loans, or further debt—needed to attain the MDGs without threatening the long-term debt sustainability of the world's poorest countries.

Income Tax (Pensioners)

Joan Walley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many senior citizens in Stoke-on-Trent, North qualified for the 10p rate of income tax in each year since its introduction.

Dawn Primarolo: All income tax payers benefit from the 10p starting rate. The Survey of Personal Incomes estimates that there are about 3,000 state retirement pension age taxpayers in the Stoke-on-Trent, North constituency in 2000–01 and 2001–02. Estimates should be treated with caution because of sampling variation. Figures for 1999–2000 are currently not available.

Income Tax (Pensioners)

Lorna Fitzsimons: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many senior citizens in the parliamentary constituency of Rochdale qualified for the 10 pence rate of income tax in each year since its introduction; and what percentage were (a) women and (b) of Asian origin.

Dawn Primarolo: All income tax payers benefit from the 10 pence starting rate. The Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) estimates that there are around 5,000 state retirement pension age tax payers in the Rochdale constituency in 2001–02. The sample size of pensioners living in the Rochdale constituency is relatively small compared to other constituencies so a reliable estimate cannot be given for 2000–01. Figures for 1999–2000 are currently not available.
	The sample size of women pensioners living in the Rochdale consistuency is too small to provide a reliable estimate in any year. Information on ethnic origin is not available on the Survey of Personal Incomes.
	Estimates should be treated with caution because of sampling variation.

Large Business Office

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) full and (b) part-time staff have been employed by the Large Business Office in each year since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: Figures for 1999–2000 onwards are:
	
		
			  Full-time Part-time Total 
		
		
			 1999–2000 636 44 680 
			 2000–01 675 44 719 
			 2001–02 707 79 786 
			 2002–03 742 92 834 
			 2003–04 763 91 854 
		
	
	It may be possible to ascertain figures for earlier years, but these are not held centrally and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

National Insurance Contributions

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the total gross national insurance contributions by (a) employers, (b) employees and (c) the self-employed as a proportion of GDP for 2007–08.

John Healey: Estimates are given in the table.
	
		
			 Group Contribution classes Gross NICs as a proportion of money GDP in 2007–08 (UK) (per cent.) 
		
		
			 (a) employers 1 (secondary), 1A, 1B 4.5 
			 (b) employees 1 (primary), 3 3.0 
			 (c) self-employed 2,4 0.3 
			 Total All 7.7 
		
	
	Gross National Insurance contributions are estimated by Government Actuary's Department. Estimates of money GDP in 2007–08 are published in the Financial Statement and Budget Report 2004.

Population (UK)

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total projected population of the UK is for each of the next 10 years.

Ruth Kelly: The Government Actuary's latest national population projections, based on the estimated population at the middle of 2002, are available from the GAD website at: http://www.gad.gov.uk/Population/index.asp?v=Principal&y=2002&subYear=Continue

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

Simon Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what sums have been paid to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in each of the last five years.

Ruth Kelly: holding answer 10 June 2004
	The Treasury does not keep central records of payments by Government to particular organisations. However, the Treasury itself has paid the following sums to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in the following of the last five years:
	
		
			 £ 
		
		
			 1999–2000 210 
			 2000–01 160 
			 2003–04 890

Sefton

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on population levels in Sefton over the last 10 years.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from John Pullinger to Mrs. Curtis-Thomas, dated 10 June 2004
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your question concerning the population levels in Sefton over the last 10 years. I am replying in his absence. (177838)
	The total population for Sefton has decreased steadily from 292,400 in mid-1992 to 281, 700 in mid-2002. This represents a decrease of 3.4 per cent. Changes in population can be attributed to a combination of 'natural change' and 'migration and other changes'. In most years it is 'natural change' that is the most important factor for Sefton, with an excess of deaths over births. Over the 10 years as a whole, natural change accounted for 71 per cent. of the decrease. Figures for each year can be found in the attached table.
	Mid-1992 to mid-2000 population estimates are interim revised population estimates. They are subject to revision.
	
		Total population and population change for Sefton (1992 to 2002)
		
			  Population at start Natural change Migration and other changes(4) Population at end 
		
		
			 1991–92 292,900 -100 -400 292,400 
			 1992–93 292,400 -500 -300 291,600 
			 1993–94 291,600 -700 -1,200 289,700 
			 1994–95 289,700 -600 -900 288,300 
			 1995–96 288,300 -700 -800 286,700 
			 1996–97 286,700 -700 -0 285,900 
			 1997–98 285,900 -700 -500 284,700 
			 1998–99 284,700 -900 -0 283,800 
			 1999–2000 283,800 -900 300 283,200 
			 2000–01 283,200 -900 600 282,900 
			 2001–02 282,900 -1000 -200 281,700 
		
	
	(4) "Migration and other changes" encompasses net migration, Armed Forces, Foreign Armed Forces Dependents, School Boarders, Prisoners, Asylum Seekers and Visitor Switches, an adjustment to reconcile differences between Censuses and an adjustment for any possible boundary changes.
	Note:
	Figures may not add exactly due to rounding.
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics

Taxation (Wales)

Martyn Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money was raised through taxes in Wales in each of the last 10 years.

Dawn Primarolo: The following table from the ONS 2002 publication of household income shows estimates of income taxes, council taxes and vehicle taxes paid by households in Wales and the United Kingdom for the period 1995 to 1999. These figures were produced by ONS for the estimation of sub-national gross disposable household income and were published in March 2002.
	
		Estimate of taxes paid by households(5) -- £ million
		
			  1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 
		
		
			 Wales 3,062 3,036 3,068 3,384 3,743 
			 United Kingdom 86,527 87,932 89,734 106,069 113,455 
		
	
	(5) Taxes paid by households and non-profit institutions serving households
	No corresponding information is available on taxes paid by organisations although an estimate of the VAT paid was given in my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Wrexham (Ian Lucas) on 16 December 2002, Official Report, column 613W.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Housing Stock

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total costs of grants to Arm's Length Management Organisations, and the amount paid to each, has been since 1999.

Keith Hill: The Housing Revenue Account Subsidy paid to local authorities which have set up qualifying Arms Length Management Organisations (ALMOs) to manage and improve their housing stock includes an allowance to support borrowing by the local authorities for capital expenditure by their ALMOs. This allowance was first paid in 2002–03. The sums paid to each qualifying local authority in 2002–03 and 2003–04 are tabled as follows:
	
		
			  ALMO allowance (£) 
			 Local authority 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Round 1 ALMOs   
			 Ashfield 1,012,603 2,400,000 
			 Derby 1,312,164 3,110,000 
			 Hounslow 1,179,452 3,500,000 
			 Kirklees 1,917,808 6,250,000 
			 Rochdale 835,397 2,420,000 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 1,353,288 4,450,000 
			 Westminster 745,260 2,030,000 
			 Wigan 1,788,932 5,830,000 
			
			 Round 2 ALMOs   
			 Barnsley — 1,856,885 
			 Blyth Valley — 1,329,235 
			 Bolton — 2,619,654 
			 Brent — 2,342,213 
			 Carrick — 109,098 
			 Cheltenham — 422,131 
			 Hillingdon — 86,175 
			 Kensington and Chelsea — 1,580,334 
			 Leeds—North East — 447,072 
			 Leeds—West — 778,210 
			 Oldham — 3,033,211 
			 Total 10,144,904 44,594,218

Housing Stock

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will place in the Library the evidence he has collated on the benefits that arise from (a) separating housing management from housing strategy and (b) the financial effect of the separation.

Keith Hill: The Audit Commission's Best Value Inspection Reports indicate that stock owning local authorities primarily see their housing role as that of a landlord. This reduces their focus on strategic housing functions. In explaining why they had published best practice on how local authorities that had transferred their stock deliver their strategic housing role, the Audit Commission said that:
	"Having set up a housing association to run its rented homes, a council is able to concentrate on area-based regeneration, including private sector housing. In other areas, councils have used stock transfer as an opportunity to work more effectively with planning services to provide more affordable housing and more mixed-tenure developments".
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not have information of the financial effects of the separation of strategic and landlord services.

Housing Stock

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much investment to fund stock improvements has been secured via transfer, private finance initiative and Arm's Length Management Organisations since the Housing Green Paper was published in 2000, broken down by local authority; and how much of the backlog of repairs and improvement remains to be funded.

Keith Hill: The following tables show the level of additional investment secured by ALMO PFI and LSVT since 2000.
	These figures do not include mainstream housing funding paid to stock owning local authorities including those that have established ALMOs or PFI contracts.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is not in a position to update or estimate the reduction since 2001 of the repairs and improvement backlog until we have sufficient data from the English House Condition Survey, the next report of which will be published by the end of this year.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister needs this independent assessment, as we cannot determine the remaining backlog by simply deducting the sums spent from the previous backlog estimate. This is because the expenditure is used both to reduce the backlog and to stop the backlog increasing.
	
		LSVT
		
			 Authority Date of transfer Private investment (£ million) 
		
		
			 Manchester CC (Colshaw Farm) 14 February 2000 30.00 
			 North Devon DC 21 February 2000 70.00 
			 LB Hackney* Stamford Hill 6 March 2000 35.00 
			 LB Hackney* Pembury Estate 6 March 2000 33.90 
			 Burnley BC 8 March 2000 45.00 
			 Manchester CC Sale Estate 20 March 2000 23.00 
			 Weymouth and Portland C 20 March 2000 55.00 
			 Huntingdon DC 20 March 2000 95.00 
			 Elmbridge BC 27 March 2000 93.00 
			 Test Valley BC 27 March 2000 111.00 
			 Wyre Forest DC 27 March 2000 80.00 
			 Manchester CC Whitefield Estate 27 March 2000 20.00 
			 LB Tower Hamlets* THCH 27 March 2000 45.00 
			 Tameside 27 March 2000 213.00 
			 MBC   
			 LB Richmond 17 July 2000 173.00 
			 Coventry CC 22 September 2000 240.00 
			 Fylde BC 2 October 2000 30.00 
			 Chester CC 27 November 2000 90.00 
			 Horsham DC 11 December 2000 100.00 
			 LB Tower Hamlets* Poplar I 12 February 2001 33.00 
			 East Northamptonshire DC 19 February 2001 60.00 
			 Torbay BC 19 February 2001 50.00 
			 Staffordshire Moorlands DC 23 February 2001 50.00 
			 Calderdale MBC 6 March 2001 112.00 
			 Chichester DC 13 March 2001 120.00 
			 Mendip DC 19 March 2001 70.00 
			 West Wiltshire DC 26 March 2001 100.00 
			 West Oxfordshire DC 26 March 2001 75.00 
			 East Staffordshire BC 26 March 2001 62.00 
			 Manchester CC Handforth Estate 26 March 2001 17.00 
			 Sunderland CC 26 March 2001 425.00 
			 Blackburn with Darwen BC 28 March 2001 85.00 
			 Shrewsbury and Atcham BC 1 October 2001 82.00 
			 Mid-Bedfordshire DC 5 November 2001 50.00 
			 Derbyshire Dales 4 March 2002 59.00 
			 Chelmsford BC 11 March 2002 145.00 
			 East Hertfordshire DC 18 March 2002 50.00 
			 DC  57.00 
			 Erewash BC 25 March 2002 99.00 
			 Reigate and Banstead BC 25 March 2002 105.50 
			 St. Edmundsbury 24 June 2002 91.00 
			 Vale Royal BC 1 July 2002 90.00 
			 St. Helens MBC 1 July 2002 129.00 
			 Redcar and Cleveland BC 15 July 2002 180.00 
			 Knowsley MBC 15 July 2002 180.00 
			 LB Waltham Forest 30 September 2002 175.00 
			 LB Hackney cc sheltered stock 14 October 2002 25.00 
			 LB Harrow 14 October 2002 55.00 
			 Manchester cc Langley Estate 18 November 2002 28.00 
			 County of Herefordshire C 25 November 2002 63.00 
			 Carlisle CC 9 December 2002 63.50 
			 Rushcliffe BC 20 January 2003 55.00 
			 Liverpool CC Eastern Fringe (south) 23 January 2003 25.50 
			 Liverpool CC Eastern Fringe (central) 30 January 2003 17.50 
			 City of Bradford 24 February 2003 245.10 
			 Amber Valley BC 24 February 2003 94.00 
			 Crewe and Nantwich BC 10 March 2003 54.00 
			 Liverpool CC Eastern fringe (north) 10 March 2003 64.50 
			 Oldham MBC Limeside (Hollins/The Avenues) 17 March 2003 12.00 
			 Walsall MBC (majority of stock) 27 March 2003 213.00 
			 Walsall MBC (tenant managed stock) 27 March 2003 7.20 
			 Craven DC 31 March 2003 15.00 
			 Forest of Dean DC 31 March 2003 50.00 
			 North Hertfordshire DC 31 March 2003 182.00 
			 Manchester CC (East Manchester) 8 September 2003 25.00 
			 Scarborough BC 15 December 2003 43.00 
			 Maidstone BC 2 February 2004 50.00 
			 Teignbridge 4 February 2004 45.00 
			 Oldham MBC Fitton Hill 15 March 2004 8.50 
			 Cherwell 29 March 2004 50.00 
			 Bromsgrove 29 March 2004 49.00 
			 Hartlepool 29 March 2004 65.00 
			 Liverpool (Kensington) 29 March 2004 19.00 
			 Worcester 31 March 2004 55.00 
			 South Norfolk 17 May 2004 55.00 
			 Total  5,118.30 
		
	
	
		
			  ALMO allowance (£) 
			 Local authority 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Round 1 ALMOs   
			 Ashfield 1,012,603 2,400,000 
			 Derby 1,312,164 3,110,000 
			 Hounslow 1,179,452 3,500,000 
			 Kirklees 1,917,808 6,250,000 
			 Rochdale 835,397 2,420,000 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 1,353,288 4,450,000 
			 Westminster 745,260 2,030,000 
			 Wigan 1,788,932 5,830,000 
			
			 Round 2 ALMOs   
			 Barnsley — 1,856,885 
			 Blyth Valley — 1,329,235 
			 Bolton — 2,619,654 
			 Brent — 2,342,213 
			 Carrick — 109,098 
			 Cheltenham — 422,131 
			 Hillingdon — 86,175 
			 Kensington and Chelsea — 1,580,334 
			 Leeds—North East — 447,072 
			 Leeds—West — 778,210 
			 Oldham — 3,033,211 
			 Total 10,144,904 44,594,218 
		
	
	
		PFI
		
			 Authority PFI credits (£ million) 
		
		
			 Manchester 36.64 
			 Islington 74.69 
			 Reading 49.65 
			 Total 160.98

Housing Stock Transfers

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how much was paid per home to each local authority by the organisation taking over responsibility for housing where a large-scale voluntary transfer has taken place since 2001; and how many homes were involved in each case;
	(2)  what (a) the total amount paid to the local authority and (b) the average payment per house by the registered social landlords taking over the stock in each large-scale transfer in the last four years is.

Keith Hill: To reflect the intended continued use of the properties for social housing and the need for capital investment, the price paid to each local authority per council house accords with a tenanted market value (TMV) rather than an open market value. The following table shows the price paid per dwelling, the gross transfer price and the number of dwellings involved in large-scale voluntary transfers in the last four years. The amounts were calculated in accordance with this valuation method.
	
		
			 Local Authority Date of Transfer Number of dwellings Price per dwelling Gross transfer price (£ million) 
		
		
			 LB Richmond 17 July 2000 7,139 8,335 59.50 
			 Coventry CC 22 September 2000 20,125 2,460 49.50 
			 Fylde BC 2 October 2000 1,905 6,300 12.00 
			 Chester CC 27 November 2000 7,096 6,341 45.00 
			 Horsham DC 11 December 2000 4,650 14,462 67.25 
			 LB Tower Hamlets Poplar 1 12 February 2001 1,859 0 Grant 35.22 
			 East Northamptonshire DC 19 February 2001 3,495 6,150 21.49 
			 Torbay BC 19 February 2001 2,947 6,480 19.10 
			 Staffordshire Moorlands DC 23 February 2001 3,132 6,290 19.67 
			 Calderdale MBC 6 March 2001 12,759 2,825 36.00 
			 Chichester DC 13 March 2001 5,321 14,752 78.50 
			 Mendip DC 19 March 2001 4,326 8,091 35.00 
			 West Wiltshire DC 26 March 2001 3,284 6,423 21.00 
			 West Oxfordshire DC 26 March 2001 3,643 13,972 50.90 
			 East Staffordshire BC 26 March 2001 5,637 3,643 24.50 
			 Manchester CC Handforth Estate 26 March 2001 659 535 0.37 
			 Sunderland CC 26 March 2001 36,356 6,045 219.80 
			 Blackburn with Darwen BC 28 March 2001 9,886 4,195 35.40 
			 Shrewsbury and Atcham BC 1 October 2001 5,500 11,527 63.40 
			 Mid-Bedfordshire DC 5 November 2001 3,084 10,159 31.33 
			 Derbyshire Dales 4 March 2002 3,287 7,616 24.80 
			 Chelmsford BC 11 March 2002 6,902 11,530 79.60 
			 East Hertfordshire 18 March 2002 2,687 11,937 32.10 
			 East Hertfordshire (two transfers to separate RSLs) 3,237 13,725 44.40 
			 Erewash BC 25 March 2002 5,847 6,460 38.10 
			 Reigate and Banstead BC 25 March 2002 4,846 13,212 64.00 
			 St. Edmundsbury 24 June 2002 5,947 7,489 45.10 
			 Vale Royal BC 1 July 2002 6,813 7,462 51.07 
			 St. Helens MBC 1 July 2002 14,632 1,974 28.90 
			 Redcar and Cleveland BC 15 July 2002 11,625 5,180 60.20 
			 Knowsley MBC 15 July 2002 17,090 1,794 30.66 
			 LB Waltham Forest 30 September 2002 2,242 832 1.87 
			 LB Hackney CC sheltered stock 14 October 2002 954 0 0.00 
			 LB Harrow 14 October 2002 518 0 0.00 
			 Manchester CC Langley Estate 18 November 2002 3,360 0 0.00 
			 County of Herefordshire C 25 November 2002 5,696 6,945 39.56 
			 Carlisle CC 9 December 2002 7,198 1,803 12.98 
			 Rushcliffe BC 20 January 2003 3,445 12,934 44.56 
			 Liverpool CC eastern fringe (south) 23 January 2003 2,833 1,800 5.10 
			 Liverpool CC eastern fringe (central) 30 January 2003 3,702 0 0.00 
			 City of Bradford 24 February 2003 24,764 2,831 70.10 
			 Amber Valley BC 24 February 2003 5,632 5,077 28.57 
			 Crewe and Nantwich BC 10 March 2003 5,515 6,181 34.10 
			 Liverpool CC eastern fringe north 10 March 2003 6,183 0 0.00 
			 Oldham MBC Limeside (Hollins/the Avenues) 17 March 2003 634 0 0.00 
			 Walsall MBC (majority of stock) 27 March 2003 22,971 1,026 24.00 
			 Walsall MBC (tenant managed stock) 27 March 2003 1,828 0 0.00 
			 Craven DC 31 March 2003 1,541 5,201 17.60 
			 Forest of Dean DC 31 March 2003 3,577 6,849 24.50 
			 North Hertfordshire DC 31 March 2003 8,570 3,128 . 27.00 
			 Manchester CC (east Manchester) 8 September 2003 2,823 0 0.00 
			 Scarborough BC 15 December 2003 4,632 5,232 24.25 
			 Maidstone BC 2 February 2004 6,810 5,685 35.82 
			 Teignbridge 4 February 2004 3,647 3,651 12.90 
			 Oldham MBC Fitton Hill 15 March 2004 1,285 0 0.00 
			 Cherwell 29 March 2004 3,656 7,397 42.85 
			 Bromsgrove 29 March 2004 3,096 5,218 16.50 
			 Hartlepool 29 March 2004 7,509 427 3.20 
			 Liverpool (Kensington) 29 March 2004 289 0 0.00 
			 Worcester 31 March 2004 4,714 1,128 5.31 
			 South Norfolk 17 May 2004 4,214 7,499 31.60

Housing Stock Transfers

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much has been paid in dowry and gap funding to local authorities to undertake large-scale voluntary stock transfers since 1999.

Keith Hill: Estates Renewal Challenge Fund dowry payments of £165.264 million and £81.142 million were made in 1999–2000 and 2000–01 respectively.

Housing Stock Transfers

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidelines he gives to registered social landlords taking over council property in large-scale voluntary transfers; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of tenant representation in existing registered social landlords.

Keith Hill: The Housing Transfer Manual 2003 Programme provides guidance on housing transfer and sets out the procedure by which an authority should make an application to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. We require Registered Social Landlords to discuss the implications of transfer with the Housing Corporation who published their new registration criteria registration with the Housing Corporation in April 2004. This gives guidance which covers stock transfer applicants seeking to become registered social landlords.
	The Housing Corporation sets out the requirements and expectations for tenant representation in existing Registered Social Landlords in paragraph 2.5 of its Regulatory Code and Guidance. Failure to meet these requirements will be reflected in the Housing Corporation assessment of the Registered Social Landlord.
	The need to ensure effective tenant representation has been further emphasised in the recent Housing Corporation publication, "Involvement Policy for the Housing Association Sector". This came into effect in April 2004 and brings together two of the Housing Corporation's previous documents—"Making Consumers Count" and "Communities in Control."
	This revised resident involvement policy sets out clearly what residents, and the Housing Corporation as regulator, can expect from housing associations, i.e.:
	all housing associations should clearly show how their services have been influenced by comments and feedback from the people living in their homes;
	all associations are expected to be able to show that responsiveness to residents' views runs through all their activities. That it is part of their culture and the way they deliver services; and
	all associations are expected to work with their residents to decide the best ways of involving them, taking account of their preferences and circumstances.
	The Housing Corporation seeks residents' views on emerging policies in a variety of ways:
	working with a wide range of representative bodies of tenants and residents;
	maintaining a database of 'interested tenants' who have indicated that they are prepared to be involved in giving feedback on the Housing Corporation's developing policies and on the consultation papers issued from time to time;
	conducting a major national tenants' survey every three years covering 10,000 tenants. The next survey is due this year;
	providing grants to support conferences of residents at both national and regional level; and
	holding regular meeting with the Housing Ombudsman.
	The Corporation has asked the Audit Commission, as part of its joint programme of research, to look at the costs and benefits of resident involvement and to consider the evidence that involvement does in fact make good business sense. A report of the study, "Improving Services Through Resident Involvement", will be launched at the Chartered Institute of Housing conference in June 2004.

Housing Stock Transfers

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of the costs of (a) consultation, (b) publicity material and (c) surveys connected with (i) successful and (ii) unsuccessful tenant ballots on large-scale voluntary transfer or establishment of an arm's length management organisation was met by (A) local government, (B) housing associations, (C) arm's length management organisations and (D) central Government.

Keith Hill: All local authorities are required to produce Business Plans that set out medium/long-term plans for addressing the investment needs of their council housing and improving the quality of services provided to tenants. The guidance provided to authorities highlights the importance of carrying out robust option appraisals as a part of this, to ensure that resources are used effectively and, where additional resources are needed, that the best option for delivering decent homes is identified. Therefore, the cost is met by local authorities, as all work on options appraisals including consultation, publicity material and surveys etc. is funded by the local authority, as the work should be undertaken as part of their Business Plan.
	Arm's Length Management Organisations and housing associations are at the end of the process of options appraisal undertaken by local authorities, and so do not fund any of the consultation with tenants on the three options.

Housing Stock Transfers

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will estimate the total cost to central Government of transferring council housing to registered social landlords and Arm's Length Management Organisations in the financial years (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04, separately identifying (i) the total debt written off, (ii) the cost of dowry and gap funding, (iii) the cost of paying tenant housing benefit by social security, (iv) the cost of consultancies, literature, videos and surveys and (v) the cost of staff time at (A) national and (B) regional levels; and how many houses have been transferred.

Keith Hill: In 2002–03, £440 million of debt was written off for local authorities transferring their housing stock; there was no dowry or gap funding in this year. 167,000 homes were transferred to registered social landlords. Arms Length Management Organisations received £10 million funding that year.
	In 2003–04, £90 million of debt was written off for local authorities transferring their housing stock; there was no dowry or gap funding in this year. 42,000 homes were transferred.
	Arm's Length Management Organisations received £45 million funding that year.
	The additional information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Ancient Trees

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what action her Department is taking to ensure that ancient trees are identified for inclusion in biodiversity action plans;
	(2)  what action her Department is taking to ensure that ancient trees are fully identified and mapped for the purposes of inclusion in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.

Ben Bradshaw: Sites with ancient or veteran trees are being recorded through a variety of different mechanisms. Some are Sites of Special Scientific Interest and a number of the best areas have gone forward as Special Areas of Conservation under the EU Habitats and Species Directive (including the New Forest, Burnham Beeches, Epping Forest, Windsor Great Park, Richmond Park, Sherwood Forest).
	Surveys to identify other sites for veteran trees, that may have been over-looked in the past, are under way, including recent work in Scotland and in the East Midlands of England. The Forestry Commission are planning to start the next National Inventory of Woodland and Trees later this year. The methods to be used are being finalised over the next few months and it is expected that the inventory will provide estimates of the overall abundance of veteran trees in woodland.
	The most important concentrations of ancient or veteran trees across the countryside tend to be associated with wood-pastures (old parks, commons and the former royal hunting forests). The UK Wood-pasture and Parkland Habitat Action Plan is led by English Nature, who are developing the Wood-pasture and Parkland Information System (www.wapis.org.uk) that will enable both biological and historical data about these important sites to be brought together.
	The National Inventory cannot be expected to pick up every one of the many thousands of individual veteran trees that exist within Britain, in field corners, hedges or along riverbanks. There is scope, therefore, for voluntary efforts such as by local tree wardens and through the Woodland Trust/Ancient Tree Forum's Ancient Tree Hunt to complement the work of the Government Departments and agencies. We welcome such voluntary sector contributions. We would encourage individuals and voluntary bodies to use the Wood-pasture and Parkland Information System to widen our knowledge and understanding and help make the information readily available through the National Biodiversity Network.

Animal By-products

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate she has made of the cost to retailers of the Animal By-products Regulation 2003.

Ben Bradshaw: The Animal By-Products Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) estimated that the cost to retailers for disposing of raw meat and raw fish is between £4 and £45 a week depending on the size of the store and the amount of waste generated by the store. No more recent estimate has been made.

Cattle

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 25 May 2004, Official Report, column 1486W, on cattle, how much of the total cost of running the cattle tracing scheme will be paid by farmers; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: We recently deferred the introduction of Cattle Tracing System charging from 1 April 2004 and are currently reviewing a range of options on the level of cost recovery.

Correspondence

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons she has not replied to the letter of 27 November 2003 from Mr. Jim Morrison, President of the Aluminium Federation on the problems of the export of waste under the Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 1994; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 27 May 2004
	My Department has no record of having received this letter. A copy was recently passed to me by my hon. Friend. A follow-up letter of 19 May has been received recently. I have now written to Mr. Morrison, addressing the issues that he raised.

Fallen Stock

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Master of Fox Hounds Association about whether hunt kennels will continue to collect fallen stock in the event of a ban on hunting.

Alun Michael: The Department has included the Master of Fox Hounds Association in discussions about arrangements for a National Fallen Stock Scheme and has registered a substantial level of interest from hunt kennels in joining the scheme. This suggests that many are willing to make the necessary investment to continue in business for the disposal of fallen stock whatever the future for hunting.

Grain Stockpiles

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how much grain was held on world stockpiles in each of the last 30 years;
	(2)  how many days' worth of global consumption of grain was held on world stockpiles in each of the last 30 years.

Alun Michael: The Government do not collect global grain stock or consumption statistics but the following information is publicly available from supply and demand balance sheets compiled by the United States Department of Agriculture.
	
		
			  World stocks(6) (million tonnes) Days supply(7) 
		
		
			 1974–75 170 64 
			 1975–76 180 67 
			 1976–77 241 85 
			 1977–78 233 79 
			 1978–79 278 90 
			 1979–80 274 86 
			 1980–81 255 80 
			 1981–82 281 87 
			 1982–83 332 101 
			 1983–84 278 84 
			 1984–85 340 99 
			 1985–86 421 123 
			 1986–87 469 132 
			 1987–88 420 115 
			 1988–89 336 95 
			 1989–90 318 86 
			 1990–91 366 98 
			 1991–92 356 95 
			 1992–93 395 104 
			 1993–94 362 96 
			 1994–95 358 93 
			 1995–96 317 84 
			 1996–97 366 93 
			 1997–98 412 104 
			 1998–99 444 112 
			 1999–2000 439 110 
			 2000–01 415 103 
			 2001–02 396 97 
			 2002–03 332 81 
			 2003–04 251 60 
		
	
	(6) Ending stock for year in question.
	(7) Ending stock divided by total daily consumption.

Public Rights of Way

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures she is taking to develop a strategy for establishing connected-up networks of public rights of way in the North West.

Alun Michael: The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 requires all local highway authorities to prepare rights of way improvement plans. This requirement is intended to encourage authorities to take a strategic look at their rights of way networks, with a view to providing better for the needs of users—this includes planning for better joined-up networks. The Government have provided additional funding for the preparation of these plans.

TRANSPORT

Middle Lanes

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what survey work has been undertaken to gauge how often the middle lane is used on three-lane roads and motorways when not overtaking a vehicle in the left lane.

David Jamieson: My Department is not aware of any such survey work. In order to produce meaningful results, a survey into lane usage would need to be widely based and would be labour intensive and costly. My Department is working to improve lane discipline and to reduce the annoyance that poor lane discipline causes.

Middle Lanes

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if his Department will run a campaign to educate motorists when using multi-lane roads and motorways to use the left lane and only to use other lanes for overtaking; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: Poor lane discipline does cause annoyance and can reduce road capacity. We are working to improve lane discipline. It is safe driving practice for vehicles using motorways to keep in the left-hand lane unless overtaking, and this advice is reflected in the Highway Code and the Driving Manual. The Theory Test includes questions on motorway lane discipline and the Department produces a leaflet, 'A Guide to Safer Motorway Driving'. Police motorway patrols can, where they think appropriate, pull up motorists for poor lane discipline, and indeed can prosecute where the motorist's behaviour amounts to inconsiderate driving.
	Also, the Highways Agency is currently exploring the possibility of using the variable message signs on motorways (VMS) to encourage lane discipline, alongside their present use for early warning to motorists about traffic queues ahead and advice on diversion routes.
	We will keep the issue under review, and will further strengthen the actions described, and reshape our information programmes as required.

Transport (Manchester, Central)

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of new cycle lanes have been provided using public funds in Manchester, Central since 1997.

Tony McNulty: A total of 2.7 miles of new cycle lanes have been provided in Manchester Central since 1997.

Transport (Manchester, Central)

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of priority bus lanes have been created in Manchester, Central since 1997.

Tony McNulty: A total of 1.5 miles of priority bus lanes have been created in Manchester Central since 1997.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Magistrates Courts (Totnes)

Anthony Steen: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the cost to public funds was of replacing two doors to the cells at Totnes magistrates court; and when these cells were last used.

Christopher Leslie: The two cells doors were replaced during April 2002. The cost of doing so was £3,036.00.
	Shortly after the works were completed the Magistrates Courts Committee's (MCC) decided to centralise remand cases across the MCC area. While the cells at Totnes magistrates court have since no longer been used on a regular basis, as part of the MCCs contingency planning the cells are maintained in a condition which, if circumstances demand, means they could be used in an emergency.

Corporate Legal Expenses Insurance

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what discussions he has had with the Bar over the proposal for mandatory corporate legal expenses insurance; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The Bar has proposed a scheme for compulsory corporate insurance to cover legal costs arising when company officers and directors are accused of commercial fraud, in order to free up legal aid funding for other priorities. This idea is being considered in the context of the Fundamental Legal Aid Review currently being carried out by my Department. The review will report to Ministers early next year.

SCOTLAND

Govan Shipyard

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 
	(1)  on which dates in 1999 the former Secretary of State met Mr. George Simpson of GEC; if he will publish minutes of the meetings; and if he will list the attendees at those meetings;
	(2)  what communications (a) the former Secretary of State and (b) his representatives and advisers had in 1999 with GEC over (a) the proposed merger of BAE-GEC and (b) Govan shipyard; and if he will publish the communications;
	(3)  what (a) meetings and (b) communications the (i) former Secretary of State and (ii) his representatives and advisers had with Kvaerner, their representatives and advisers over the proposed closure of the Govan shipyard in 1999; on what dates meetings were held; and if he will publish the communications;
	(4)  what meetings his Department held with management of Govan/Kvaerner to discuss the future of the Govan shipyard in 1999;
	(5)  what briefings the former Secretary of State (a) gave and (b) received in 1999 on the GEC interest in the Govan shipyard;
	(6)  on what date the former Secretary of State received the minutes of the meeting between Mr. George Simpson of GEC and the Prime Minister to discuss the merger of BAE and GEC;
	(7)  what meetings the former Secretary of State held at (a) Dover House and (b) elsewhere to discuss (i) the future of the Govan shipyard and (ii) the BAE-GEC merger; and on what dates;
	(8)  if he will publish the (a) minutes and (b) list of attendees of meetings held by the former Secretary of State at Dover House or elsewhere to discuss (i) the future of Govan shipyard and (ii) BAE-GEC merger;
	(9)  what meetings (a) the former Secretary of State and (b) his advisers, representatives and officials had with the taskforce chaired by Sir Gavin Laird set up by the Government to look for potential buyers for the Govan shipyard in 1999;
	(10)  what meetings were held by the former Secretary of State with Sir Gavin Laird to discuss the future of the Govan shipyard in 1999; and what the dates were of the meetings;
	(11)  what meetings took place between Mr. Ed Miliband and his officials in 1999 to discuss the (a) GEC-BAE merger and (b) Govan shipyard; and what the dates were of the meetings.

Alistair Darling: My officials and I have meetings and discussions with a wide range of organisations and individuals. As with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings, under exemptions 2 and 7 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. Exemption 12 of the Code also applies with regard to privacy of an individual.

Govan Shipyard

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 
	(1)  what his Department's involvement was in the negotiations over the future of Govan shipyard in 1999;
	(2)  what the involvement was of (a) the former Secretary of State and (b) his representatives and advisers in informal and oral approaches made to GEC over the purchase of Govan shipyard in 1999.

Alistair Darling: The then Scottish Office established the Kvaerner Task Force to act as a facilitator for discussions with key stakeholders, with the aim of securing the immediate future of the Govan shipyard.

Govan Shipyard

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 
	(1)  who chaired the press briefing on 16 April 2004 at the Scottish Office at which it was suggested that GEC would be transferring some of its shipbuilding work to Govan from Barrow-in-Furness;
	(2)  if he will publish the (a) minutes and (b) list of attendees of the press briefing on 16 April 2004 at the Scottish Office at which it was suggested that GEC would be transferring some of its shipbuilding work to Govan from Barrow-in-Furness.

Alistair Darling: No Scottish Office press briefing was given on that date. I am informed that a briefing was given by Sir Gavin Laird in his capacity as Kvaerner Task Force chairman.

Low Sulphur Petrol

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding the provision of low sulphur petrol in the north-east of Scotland and the highlands and islands after 1 September; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, on 24 May 2004, Official Report, column 1460W.

CABINET OFFICE

E-Government

Roger Berry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how the Government will be improving its e-Government Metadata Standard to ensure that the websites of (a) Government departments and (b) agencies and non-departmental public bodies are exemplars of accessibility.

Douglas Alexander: The e-Government Metadata Standard (e-GMS) provides information about the technical aspects of accessibility of a web page. It is reviewed and updated on an annual basis through consultation with a wide range of government departments, other public bodies, academics, the private sector and the UK public itself.
	e-GMS is mandatory for new public sector IT systems and the number of sites meeting the standard will therefore improve as sites are replaced or upgraded.
	The Cabinet Office encourages compliance through the provision of guidance and good practice. Compliance to the guidelines and standards is the responsibility of the individual departments.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Iraq

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date he first became aware of allegations of abuse of Iraqi detainees by British service personnel in Iraq; and from what source.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 19 May 2004
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary first became aware of allegations of abuse of Iraqi detainees by British service personnel in Iraq in April 2003. The allegations against Colonel Tim Collins, which were widely publicised in the media, were investigated and it was found there was no case to answer.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and what discussions he has had with the (a) Democratic Republic of the Congo Government and (b) Government of Rwanda on the situation in Bukavu.

Chris Mullin: The situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is of great concern. Events in the east and violent demonstrations in Kinshasa and other major cities have placed the transition process under serious strain. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has spoken to President Kabila of the DRC and President Kagame of Rwanda. We have been in constant contact with the key players to press for restraint and to urge them to work constructively to achieve a peaceful solution.
	I had a meeting with Kabila's envoy on Monday 7 June.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on attacks upon UN personnel in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mullin: There have been a number of attacks on the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) in recent weeks. An unarmed Military Observer was killed in South Kivu on 31 May and two South African peacekeepers were killed and several others were injured in an unrelated incident in North Kivu on 2 June. On 2 and 3 June MONUC was targeted by violent demonstrations in Kinshasa and other towns across the DRC. The UK supports the efforts of the UN to achieve the military and political stabilisation of the DRC.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of abuse of women, including rape and other sexual offences, by UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Chris Mullin: We are deeply concerned about press reports alleging serious sexual abuse by peacekeepers of the UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC), including against children. MONUC have launched an urgent internal investigation into the allegations. If these are confirmed, we will press MONUC to take all necessary steps to prevent such abuses from re-occurring.

India

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the new Indian Government on the legacy of the Amritsar attacks on the Sikh shrine.

Mike O'Brien: None.

Kosovo

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent shooting of a Serb teenager in Gracanica, Kosovo; and what discussions he has had with the authorities in Kosovo on this incident.

Denis MacShane: In the early hours of 5 June, a Serb teenager was killed in a drive-by shooting in the Serb enclave of Gracanica in the municipality of Pristina. Two suspects were subsequently arrested by Kosovo Police Service officers. The Prime Minister and President of Kosovo have both condemned the attack. The Contact Group also condemned this incident in their meeting in Pristina on 8 June, and had discussions with both UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo and Kosovo Serbs. The British Office in Pristina has been in touch with the police in Kosovo to urge that every effort be made to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Sudan

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the United Nations on preventing crimes against humanity in Sudan.

Chris Mullin: We are deeply concerned about the human rights situation in Darfur. We are in close contact with the UN and other members of the international community on this matter. Most recently my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development spoke to the UN Secretary-General about Darfur on 9 June. We are calling on all sides to put a stop to the human rights abuses and breaches of international humanitarian law.
	We see the deployment of the African Union (AU) ceasefire monitoring team as key to improving the security situation and addressing civilian protection. The UK will contribute one of the six observers requested from the EU, and have already provided £2 million to help the AU team to set up. In addition, the UN is planning to deploy human rights monitors throughout Darfur with UK financial support.

Zimbabwe

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Zimbabwean residents have left Zimbabwe and sought residency in the United Kingdom during the last 12 months.

Des Browne: I have been asked to reply.
	The requested information is not available.
	Data are available on the number of entry clearance applications granted in Zimbabwe and Zimbabwean nationals seeking asylum. The latest available data are provided in the tables. In addition 3,530 Zimbabwean nationals were granted settlement in 2002.
	Detailed statistics on immigration control are published in the Command Paper "Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2002" (cm 6053) obtained from the House Library, the Stationary Office and via the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/commandpubs1.html
	Information on asylum applications is published in quarterly web pages and in the annual statistical bulletin Asylum Statistics United Kingdom. Copies of these publications and others relating to general immigration to the UK are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigrationl.html
	
		Initial decisions made on asylum applications1, 2 receivedin the United Kingdom excluding dependants, 2003,nationals of Zimbabwe
		
			  Initial decisions 
		
		
			 Total decisions 4,175 
			 Grants of asylum 870 
			 Grants of ELR(10) 10 
			 Grants of HP(11) 5 
			 Grants of DL(11) 20 
			 Total refusals 3,275 
		
	
	(8) Provisional figures rounded to nearest 5, with * = 1 or 2
	(9) Information is of initial determination decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions.
	(10) Granted between 1 January 2003 and 31 March 2003 only.
	(11) Granted from 1 April 2003.
	
		Decisions on entry clearance applications, nationalsof Zimbabwe, 2002(12)
		
			 Entry clearance applications for: Granted 2 Refused initially 3 
		
		
			 Temporary purposes(15) 8,665 4,160 
			 Settlement 5 1,475 80 
		
	
	(12) Actual data not available, estimates based on financial year data.
	(13) Granted initially or on appeal.
	(14) Some may have been granted subsequently on appeal.
	(15) Nationals of certain countries currently need a visa to enter the UK regardless of the purpose of their journey.
	(16) Includes applications for a certificate to the right of abode.

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Transitional Government (Iraq)

Anne Campbell: To ask the Minister for Women if she will make a statement on the representation of women in positions of power in the transitional Government of Iraq.

Patricia Hewitt: I am delighted to hear that six women have now been appointed as Ministers in Iraq. I am especially pleased to hear that the Iraqi interim Government has created the post of Minister of State for Women.

Women's Entrepreneurship

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Minister for Women if she will make a statement on the progress of the strategic framework for women's entrepreneurship launched in May 2003.

Patricia Hewitt: As a result of Strategic Framework, all nine English regions and all 45 Business Link Operators have set targets to increase the number of women starting their own businesses.
	Already, in the last year, the Labour Force Survey shows that the number of self-employed women in the UK has risen by 4.4 per cent. bringing the total number of businesses started and run by women to almost one million.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Airwave

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what level of risk the Government considers is involved in the national roll-out of Airwave.

Caroline Flint: The Airwave service is already available to 35 police forces and we expect the national roll-out to complete by mid-2005 as planned. We do not anticipate any substantial difficulties in the remaining stages of the Airwave roll-out.

Airwave

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 12 May, Official Report, column 352W, on Tetra, what reports he has received from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory assessments of the effects of Tetra exposure on various types of cells; and whether this research is continuing.

Caroline Flint: Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) researchers have completed their work on calcium exchanges in cells—the main concern of the Stewart report. They found Tetra exposure had no effect. Work is continuing to see if exposure to Tetra can affect electrical activity in brain cells and to assess the effects of Tetra signals on cognitive performance. Quarterly reports are available from the Home Office website at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs/tetra.html.

Airwave

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 12 May, Official Report, column 352W, on Tetra, whether the research by Imperial College includes research into the health effects of (a) Airwave handsets and (b) Tetra masts.

Caroline Flint: The Imperial College national monitoring study of the health of Airwave police users is concerned with possible health effects from handsets. It does not include any work on Tetra masts.

Airwave

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 12 May, Official Report, column 352W, on Tetra, what health issues are being researched by the University of Birmingham and the University of Manchester in their research into patterns of work of Airwave users.

Caroline Flint: The University of Birmingham and the University of Manchester studies do not involve any health issues. The purpose of this research is to gather information on the typical number of calls made by Airwave police users and on the duration of these calls.

Littering

Martin Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have been made for littering since the Environmental Protection Act 1990 came into force.

Paul Goggins: Information is given in the table.
	Statistics for 2003 will be published in the autumn.
	
		Number of defendants prosecuted at the magistrates' courts for litter offences under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, England and Wales 1992—2002 1
		
			  Environmental Protection Act 1990 s87 Environmental Protection Act 1990 s91 and 92 Environmental Protection Act 1990 s94 
			  Depositing litter(18) Failing to comply with a litter abatement order or notice Failing to comply with a street litter control notice 
		
		
			 1992(19) 828 7 0 
			 1993 1,170 4 0 
			 1994 1,164 7 1 
			 1995 1,101 5 2 
			 1996 626 8 1 
			 1997 505 4 1 
			 1998 494 2 2 
			 1999 501 0 5 
			 2000(20) 466 2 0 
			 2001 457 7 0 
			 2002 332 2 1 
		
	
	(17) These data are on the principal offence basis.
	(18) Litter wardens appointed by local authorities can issue Fixed Penalty Notices, currently 50, for depositing litter.
	(19) Data collection commenced in 1992.
	(20) Staffordshire Police Force were only able to supply a sample of data for magistrates courts proceedings covering one full week in each quarter for 2000. Estimates based on this sample are included in the figures.

Crime Statistics (Bootle)

Joe Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the percentage change in (a) overall recorded crime, (b) recorded violent crime (c) burglaries and (d) vehicle thefts in Bootle has been since 1997.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is not available centrally.
	Bootle comes within the Sefton Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) area. Data at CDRP level has only been published from 1999–2000 onwards. Detailed statistics at CDRP level are available for 2002–03 on the new Home Office website: http://www.crimestatistics.org.uk

Crime Statistics (Bootle)

Joe Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times powers preventing racial harassment introduced since 1997 have been used in Bootle.

Fiona Mactaggart: Figures for the number of prosecutions in Bootle for this type of offence are not centrally available. Merseyside Police figures for harassment offences (published by the Home Office under the requirements of S95 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991) show a total of 434 recorded offences of this type in the Merseyside Police area over the period 1999–2000 to 2001–02.

Asset Recovery Operations

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the 10 most successful asset recovery operations.

Hazel Blears: Asset recovery operations and investigations are carried out by a range of agencies individually and collectively, including the police, Her Majesty's Customs and Excise, National Crime Squad, Assets Recovery Agency and the Inland Revenue. The Crown Prosecution Service and other prosecuting authorities are responsible for obtaining confiscation orders in the courts. Information on individual operations and investigations is not collected centrally.
	In 2002–03, the last year for which we have full data, a record amount of criminal assets was recovered, totalling £47 million. The new cash seizure powers in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 have also been successful. Since they came into force in December 2002 the police and Customs have seized over £63 million, on the grounds that the money in question is derived from or intended for use in crime. Seized cash is subject to forfeiture in the magistrates courts.
	The Assets Recovery Agency successfully obtained a civil recovery order in the High Court last month. This is the first such case to be settled in England, Wales and Northern Ireland under the Proceeds of Crime Act, which allows for the civil recovery of the proceeds of unlawful activity.

Child Migration

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unaccompanied children arrived in the United Kingdom, broken down by (a) port of entry to the United Kingdom and (b) originating country in each of the last three years.

Des Browne: Information on the number of unaccompanied minors who have arrived in the United Kingdom, broken down by port of entry and originating country is not currently collected.
	However the results of Operation Paladin Child on unaccompanied children arriving at Heathrow Airport were announced on 17 May. This operation ran between August 2003—November 2003 and was initiated by the Metropolitan Police Child Protection Command, with the co-operation of the Immigration Service, NSPCC and Hillingdon Social Services.
	In total 1,738 unaccompanied minors were granted leave to enter in the three-month study of whom 30 per cent. were risk assessed and referred to Social Services. The operation was a valuable exercise in determining the nature of child migration to the UK and has not uncovered evidence of child trafficking at Heathrow. The full details of the operation, and possible changes to procedures and policy in the light of it, are still being assessed.

Asylum/Immigration

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the organisations with which the Home Office is negotiating to run the proposed accommodation centre for asylum seekers at Bicester.

Des Browne: As part of a procurement exercise carried out under the ED procurement regulations for a contract to design, build and operate the centre near Bicester, the Home Office is in negotiation with Global Solutions Limited UK.

Asylum/Immigration

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 10 May 2004, Official Report, column 754W, on asylum and immigration, when he expects the exercise in respect of asylum seekers remaining in the UK to be completed.

Des Browne: Good progress continues to be made in considering the cases originally identified. The bulk has been processed for eligibility and the majority, where the applicants have responded to our questionnaire, have been decided. We remain reliant on the applicants we contact replying promptly to our inquiries. Those not doing so are being reminded. We expect the exercise largely to be complete by July.

Child Deaths

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children were killed by their (a) mother or father and (b) a member of the extended family in each of the last 20 years.

Hazel Blears: The latest available information on homicide is published in Home Office Statistical Bulletin number 01/04, 'Crime in England and Wales 2002/2003: Supplementary Volume 1: Homicide and Gun Crime', a copy of which should be available from the House of Commons library or internet site http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/hosbpubs1.html.
	In England and Wales, the numbers of homicide victims under 16 years killed by their parents or by others that they know are given in the table.
	
		
			  Son/daughter of suspect Other family/friend/acquaintance of suspect 
		
		
			 1983 53 13 
			 1984 62 7 
			 1985 72 14 
			 1986 35 9 
			 1987 54 11 
			 1988 76 12 
			 1989 44 10 
			 1990 49 8 
			 1991 63 15 
			 1992 51 8 
			 1993 49 11 
			 1994 53 11 
			 1995 52 16 
			 1996 58 12 
			 1997 50 17 
			 1997–98 44 15 
			 1998–99 57 17 
			 1999–200048 4 
			 2000–01 80 7 
			 2001–02 41 9 
			 2002–03 55 11

Citizenship Ceremonies

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the largest number of new candidates present at a single citizenship ceremony has been.

Des Browne: Citizenship ceremonies are arranged by local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland. Information on the largest number of prospective citizens at those ceremonies so far held is not available. During consultation with local authorities, 10 to 50 applicants was suggested as the normal level of attendance at citizenship ceremonies.

Citizenship Ceremonies

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what knowledge of (a) life in the UK and (b) the English language is a pre requisite for receiving citizenship.

Des Browne: When brought into force, Part 1 of The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 will require naturalisation applicants to demonstrate that they have sufficient understanding of English, Welsh or Scottish Gaelic and of UK civic structures.
	The language requirement already exists in the British Nationality Act 1981, although the standard is not defined. The Government have accepted the recommendations set out in the report of the "Life in the UK" Advisory Group that under new Regulations, "sufficient understanding" will entail applicants demonstrating progress from one English for Speakers of Other Languages entry level to the next.
	Development of the citizenship element of programmes, and the means by which this can be assessed, is continuing in line with the further recommendations of the Advisory Group.

Citizenship Ceremonies

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what timetable he has set for the rolling out of citizenship ceremonies throughout the UK.

Des Browne: The requirement to attend citizenship ceremonies was introduced for applications made on or after 1 January 2004. The first ceremony was held in Brent on 26 February.

Citizenship Ceremonies

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have had an offer of citizenship revoked because of refusal to attend a citizenship ceremony.

Des Browne: To date no applicant has been refused citizenship as a result of refusal to attend a citizenship ceremony.

Citizenship Ceremonies

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many citizenship ceremonies have been held to date in (a) town halls, (b) registry offices and (c) other places; and in how many ceremonies, in each case (i) a gift was given, (ii) the local school participated, (iii) a local choir or band performed, (iv) a local hon. Member or other dignitary attended and (v) a national or local emblem was used.

Des Browne: Citizenship ceremonies are arranged by local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland, who are responsible for venues, composition, content, and attendance of guests and dignitaries. An analysis of ceremonies so far held is not available. Local authorities are encouraged to display national and local emblems at all ceremonies.

Citizenship Ceremonies

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many private citizenship ceremonies have been held for one candidate or one family.

Des Browne: There is no information available on the number of private ceremonies so far arranged.

Citizenship Ceremonies

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many citizenship ceremonies have been held to date; and how many (a) adults and (b) children have been awarded citizenship at these ceremonies, broken down by area.

Des Browne: The number of citizenship ceremonies held to date is not available, and information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The number of adults invited to attend a ceremony up to 30 April is 7,078. The number reported as having attended up to 15 April is 1,906. These figures cannot be broken down by area. Children are not required to attend ceremonies.

Citizenship Ceremonies

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have had an application for citizenship turned down because of insufficient knowledge of (a) the English language and (b) life in the United Kingdom.

Des Browne: In 2003, the latest year for which published figures are available, there were 20 applicants refused citizenship for insufficient knowledge of English. In 2003, the "Life in the UK" Advisory Group recommended a new definition of sufficient knowledge of English and an additional criterion of knowledge of life in the UK. The Government broadly welcomed these recommendations but they have not yet been introduced.

Domestic/Child Care Staff

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to (a) identify and (b) prosecute agencies offering staff for domestic and child care duties who are not in possession of the required visa for such work;
	(2)  if his Department will assess the merits of sting operations involving advertising requirements for domestic and child care staff as a means of identifying visitors to the UK breaching visa conditions;
	(3)  what steps his Department is taking to identify illegal workers in the (a) domestic services and (b) child care sectors.

Des Browne: The Immigration Service is increasing enforcement activity against illegal working in general, and we have taken steps to strengthen the law preventing employers from using illegal migrant workers, section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996. It is a criminal offence under section 8 to employ someone subject to immigration control who is not entitled to work in the United Kingdom or who is subject to immigration restrictions preventing them from undertaking the work in question. The law in this area applies to employers or agencies in all sectors of the economy, including those operating in the domestic services and child care sectors. On 1 May, an order under section 147 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 strengthened the security of the document checks employers must carry out on prospective employees in order to establish a defence under section 8. We have also tabled an amendment to the current Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc.) Bill to make the current section 8 offence triable either way, effectively removing the statutory limit on financial penalties the courts can impose in the more serious cases.
	All Immigration Service illegal working enforcement activity is intelligence led, and if the hon. Member has any specific concerns or information about a particular company I would encourage him to pass these on to the Immigration Service for investigation. A number of enforcement operations in 2003 targeted the contract cleaning sector, but I am not aware of any recent cases involving the child care sector. It would not be appropriate for the Immigration Service to use advertisements to induce agencies to supply illegal, workers; to do so would undermine any subsequent criminal proceedings.

Drugs

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug related offences there were in the Easington constituency in the last three years; and what the success rate for prosecution was.

Caroline Flint: Recorded crime figures, which are available at police force level and are used to measure trends in crime, include statistics on drugs offences, such as possession, and on property crimes, such as burglary. However they do not record whether the latter are related to an offender's drug habits. There are therefore no figures currently available for the proportion of crime in the Easington constituency which was connected to drug addiction, and what the success rate for prosecution was.
	The Home Office sponsored New English and Welsh Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (NEW-ADAM) survey, which involved interviewing and drug testing those arrested by the police, provides an insight into the proportion of crimes that are drug related. However, this survey does not provide sub-national data and is also not nationally representative.
	Data collected from 16 sites across England and Wales during 1999 to 2001, show that heroin and/or cocaine/crack users reported committing an average of 442 acquisitive crimes in the last 12 months. This figure is much higher than for non-drug users, who reported committing an average of 79 acquisitive crimes in the same period.
	A comparison of the survey's findings from eight sites across the country visited in 1999 and 2002, indicate that there was no change in the proportion of arrestees testing positive for one or more of six illicit drugs. Nearly two-thirds (65 per cent.) of arrestees in each year tested positive for any drug.

Durham Jail

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many deaths have taken place in Durham jail in each year since 1 January 1997; and how many of these were due to (a) suicide and (b) natural causes.

Paul Goggins: The information requested with respect to HMP Durham is included in the table:
	
		
			  Number of self-inflicted deaths(21) Number of deaths by natural/other causes 
		
		
			 1997 2 1 
			 1998 2 0 
			 1999 3 1 
			 2000 1 3 
			 2001 0 0 
			 2002 6 0 
			 2003 5 1 
			 2004(22) 2 1 
		
	
	(21) The Prison Service employs the term "self-inflicted death" rather than suicide. This includes all those deaths where it appears the person has acted intentionally to take his/her own life.
	(22) To 27 May.
	Central to the suicide prevention strategy I announced on 31 March is the need to reduce levels of distress in prisons and to promote the well being of all staff and prisoners. The strategy has strong support from partner agencies and external organisations, and is being developed in close partnership with the Department of Health.
	Durham itself has a comprehensive local suicide and self-harm prevention policy, and an active Safer Prisons Team, which tackles the separate but related issues of suicide, self-harm, bullying and violence reduction. Durham has very strong links with its local Samaritans, who attend the prison at least once per week. They are involved in the selection, training and ongoing support of prisoner peer supporters ("Listeners"), who are a valued and well utilised resource at Durham.
	Recognising the increased risk of suicide and self-harm in the early days of custody, Durham has a dedicated First Night Centre, which has strong input from healthcare, probation and detoxification staff. Durham also pioneered the "Meet and Greet" scheme, whereby prisoners, selected and trained by officers, offer information and support to new prisoners during Reception and their first night in custody. This scheme has now been extended across the Prison Service, and is known in other prisons as the "Insiders" scheme.

Durham Jail

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the refurbishment programme at Durham jail.

Paul Goggins: At Durham prison the Prison Service is delivering an £8.5 million refurbishment programme which comprises a general upgrade of the fabric, services, security and associated wing facilities for some 170 cells on D and E Wings. The Refurbishment commenced in March 2003 on D wing and is due to finish with E wing in May 2005.

EU Accession Nationals

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate how many (a) workers and (b) others from the new EU states have arrived in the UK since 1 May.

Des Browne: Since 1 May members of the EU accession countries are subject to the same immigration controls as citizens of other EU member states. We are therefore not able to say how many passengers arrived from EU accession countries or require every passenger to declare their purpose for coming to the UK. Data from the International Passenger Survey (IPS), showing the total number of visits by nationals of all the EU accession countries in May, will be available early in July. Data from the worker registration scheme will be available in due course.

Fruit Farming

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign fruit pickers and agricultural workers he estimates came to work in the UK in each of the last three years.

Des Browne: Non-EU nationals working as seasonal fruit pickers in the UK come under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS).
	The number of work cards issued to SAWS participants in the last three years were:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2003 23,329 
			 2002 19,372 
			 2001 15,258

Fruit Farming

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he has in place to monitor the work of agencies that provide foreign fruit pickers to farming businesses in the UK.

Des Browne: Non-EU nationals working as seasonal fruit pickers in the UK come under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS). The scheme is administered by nine organisations, known as Operators, under contract to the Home Office.
	The contracts require Operators to document their relationship with any third party that they choose to work through, including agencies abroad. They must be satisfied of the professional conduct of such organisations.
	The Home Office undertakes regular monitoring of all appointed Operators to ensure that there is full compliance with their contractual obligations.

Identity Cards

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Irish Government about his proposal to introduce identity cards.

Des Browne: holding answer 21 May 2004
	There have been contacts at official and at ministerial level since the publication of the "Next Steps" document in November 2003. These included meetings between my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and the Irish Minister of Justice. The Irish Government were informed of the publication of the draft Bill and consultation paper in April 2004.
	Consultations are on-going between the two Administrations.

Identity Cards

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further assessment he has made of the implications of his plans to introduce identity cards for the common travel area between the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic since January.

Des Browne: holding answer 21 May 2004
	The principle of the Common Travel Area, which includes the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, will not be affected by the Government's proposals for an Identity Cards scheme.
	Consultations will continue with the Irish Government on the implications of the identity cards scheme.

Judicial Review Cases

Howard Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent on the defence of judicial review cases which the Government (a) won and (b) lost in each year since 1997.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 19 May 2004
	The records of Home Office expenditure on judicial review cases do not indicate how much is attributable to cases which are won or lost. The amounts paid by the Home Office to the Treasury Solicitor for handling judicial review cases from May 1997 were as follows. The figures comprise Treasury Solicitor's charges and disbursements, including counsel's fees.
	
		
			  Amount (£) 
		
		
			 1997 1,723,587 
			 1998 4,392,654 
			 1999 3,395,411 
			 2000 4,979,425 
			 2001 5,294,852 
			 2002 5,920,377 
			 2003 6,231,668 
			 2004 2,695,265 
			 Total 34,633,239 
		
	
	
		JR Cases expenditure since May 1997
		
			Data 
			 Type Client Calendar year Sum of hours Sum of fees Sum of disbursements Sum of total 
		
		
			 23 HMPS 1997 42.6 2,892.60 5,733.38 8,625.98 
			   1998 62.7 4,129.80 5,079.38 9,209.18 
			   1999 9.2 574.00 89,404.51 89,978.51 
			   2000 56.7 2,971.20 4,001.83 6,973.03 
			   2001 60.8 3,321.10 1,620.49 4,941.59 
			   2002 97.8 6,121.40 6,433.48 12,554.88 
			   2003 3.4 266.40 394.50 660.90 
			   2004 0.0 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			  HMPS Total  333.2 20,276.50 112,667 .57 132,944.07 
			
			  HOME 1997 8,464.5 596,457.90 663,917.14 1,260,375.04 
			   1998 21,093.6 1,492,905.30 1,745,589.98 3,238.495.28 
			   1999 16,978.2 1,221,451.50 1,189,467.43 2,410,918.93 
			   2000 19,805.5 1,483,029.50 2,478,642.73 3,961,672.23 
			   2001 24,326.5 1,868,066.10 1,550,874.62 3,418,940.72 
			   2002 33,123.9 2,388,566.50 1,209,105.49 3,597,671.99 
			   2003 19,692.1 1,384,324.10 696,139.51 2,080,463.61 
			   2004 202.4 13,157.40 13,293.14 26,450.54 
			  HOME Total  143,686.7 10,447,958.30 9,547,030.04 19,994,988.34 
			 23 Total   144,019.9 10,468,234.80 9,659,697.61 20,127,932.41 
			
			 23C HOME 1997 120.3 7,440.00 6,624.46 14,064.46 
			   1998 426.4 30,080.80 12,960.05 43,040.85 
			   1999 145.9 11,325.50 103,021.84 114,347.34 
			   2000 215.2 17,295.30 99,117.32 116,412.62 
			   2001 369.0 29,765.70 146,373.39 176,139.09 
			   2002 1,953.1 154,611.00 205,236.39 359,847.39 
			   2003 2,714.5 213,820.10 356,627.10 570,447.20 
			   2004 817.9 59,625.30 63,898.31 123,523.67 
			  HOME Total  6,762.3 523,963.70 993,858.92, 1,517,822.62 
			 23C Total   6,762.3 523,963.70 993,858.92 1,517,822.62 
			
			 23D HOME 2000 2.4 204.20 0.00 204.20 
			   2001 87.7 7,637.30 2,485.15 10,122.45 
			   2002 293.6 20,025.10 5,706.78 25,731.88 
			   2003 3,289.5 242,262.80 107,685.57 349,948.37 
			   2004 1,946.6 133,087.80 59,442.46 192,530.26 
			  HOME Total  5,19.8 403,217.20 175,319.96, 578,537.16 
			 23D Total   5,619.8 403,217.20 175,319.96 578,537.16 
			
			 23E HOME 2002 41.0 2,838.20 552.25 3,390.45 
			   2003 1,350.5 110,369.80 71,938.00 182,307.80 
			   2004 1,934,8 145,874.30 42,541.51 188,415.87 
			  Home Total  3,326.3 259,082.30 115,031.82 374,114.12 
			 23E Total   3,326.3 259,082.30 115,031.81 374.114.12 
			
			 23T HOME 2001 11.8 1,062.00 0.00 1,062.00 
			   2002 68.1 6,027 9,467.78 15,494.98 
			   2003 6,699.9 424,339.60 124,434.33 548,773.93 
			   2004 10,566.5 641,503.90 141,227.98 782,731.88 
			  HOME Total  17,346.3 1,072,932.70 275,130.59 1,348,062.79 
			 23T Total   17,346.3 1,072,932.70 275,130.09 1,348,062.79 
			
			 26 HMPS 1997 1,269.5 101,139.40 287,108.10 388,247.50 
			   1998 2,383.0 164,713.10 653,763.88 818,476.98 
			   1999 2,534.6 182,007.50 307,752.54 489,760.04, 
			   2000 3,089.0 227,180.40 409,566.28 636,746.68 
			   2001 3,801.1 283,631.30 448,883.39 732,514.69 
			   2002 3,990.8 299,021.10 172,985.66 472,006.76 
			   2003 1,394.6 120,704.70 76,400.51 197,105.21 
			   2004 41.9 3,820.00 20,943.58 24,763.58 
			  HMPS Total  18,504.5 1,382,217.50 2,377,403.94 3,759,62l. 44 
			
			  HOME 1997 214.0 17.507.90 32,211.73 49,719.63 
			   1998 598.2 48.015.10 216,937.23 264,952.33 
			   1999 402.0 31,539.50 133,500.82 165,040.32 
			   2000 509.6 39.385.60 70,585.94 109,971.54 
			   2001 952.4 78,893.80 231.767.60 310,661.40 
			   2002 1,246.9 104,609.90 113,161.05 217,770.95 
			   2003 331.1 30,852.60 30,467.71 61,320.31 
			   2004 0.5 35.00 2,852.55 2,887.55 
			  HOME Total  4,254.7 350,839.40 831,484.63 1,182,324.03 
			 26 Total   22,759.2 1,733,056.90 3,208,888.57 4,941,945.47 
			
			 26R HMPS 1998 0.0 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			   1999 0.0 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			   2000 0.0 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			   2001 0.0 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			   2002 10.1 929.50 587.50 1,517.00 
			   2003 7.1 708.00 0.00 708.00 
			   2004 0.9 97.20 0.00 97.20 
			  HMPS Total  18.1 1,734.70 587.50 2,322.20 
			
			  HOME 1998 24.8 1,100.00 17.00 1,117.00 
			   1999 350.0 27,459.00 56,719.55 84,178.55 
			   2000 75.6 5,794.10 8,299.55 14,093.65 
			   2001 507.1 41,312.30 32,488.27 73,800.57 
			   2002 903.7 76,815.00 119,614.34 196,429.34 
			   2003 1,864.6 171,335.50 166,099.31 337,434.81 
			   2004 844.9 77,434.60 116,265.40 193,700.00 
			  HOME Total  4,570.7 401,250.50 499,503.42 900,753.92 
			 26R Total   4,588.8 402,985.20 500,090.92 903,076.12 
			
			 23N HOME 1997 27.5 2,314.30 242.00 2,556.30 
			   1998 142.0 11,403.90 5,958.64 17,362.54 
			   1999 797.8 33,549.50 7,637.50 41,187.00 
			   2000 1,663.6 80,687.50 29,440.17 110,127.67 
			   2001 2,730.7 170,465.30 157,997.40 328,462.70 
			   2002 6,273.0 417,246.20 270,191.76 687,437.96 
			   2003 17,054.8 1,183,361.00 556,222.16 1,739,583.16 
			   2004 11,303.3 765,167.50 318,981.57 1,084,149.07 
			  HOME Total  39,992.7 2,664,195.20 1,346,671.20 4.010,866.40 
			 23N Total   39,992.7 2,664,195.20 1,346,671.20 4,010,866.40 
			
			 23M HMPS 2000 0.0 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			   2001 0.0 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			   2002 23.6 2,248.50 3,426.99 5,675.49 
			   2003 0.9 84.00 0.00 84.00 
			   2004 113.0 11,896.40 2,130.86 14,027.26 
			  HMPS Total  137.5 14,228.90 5,557.85 19,786.75 
			
			  Home 2000 220.7 17,553.70 5,668.27 23,221.97 
			   2001 953.7 69,729.00 168,476.75 238,205.75 
			   2002 844.6 70,430.20 254,418.71 324,848.91 
			   2003 983.9 92,851.50 69,979.82 162,831.32 
			   2004 377.2 26,929.90 35,057.52 61,987.42 
			  HOME Total  3,380.1 277,494.30 533,601.07 811,095.37 
			 23M Total   3,517.6 291,723.20 539,158.92 830,882.12 
			  
			 Grand Total   247,932.9 17,819,391.20 16,813,848.01 34,633,239.21

National Minorities Convention

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the representations he has received from representatives of national minorities for consideration in the Government's compliance report to the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 24 May 2004
	We have received a number of submissions on our forthcoming compliance report under the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. We are currently considering those submissions, but have not yet made a final assessment.

NCIS

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have left the National Criminal Intelligence Service before the end of their secondment (a) at their own request and (b) on being instructed to do so in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Caroline Flint: The National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) does not maintain annual statistics for seconded police officers returning prior to the end of their secondment. However, based on an analysis on 100 police officers who left NCIS between July 2000 and March 2003, two thirds left earlier than expected at their own request (by an average of seven months), having secured their next posting in their parent force. NCIS can require an officer to return to force prior to the end of his or her secondment, for example where NCIS has "lost confidence" in the officer. This is a rare occurrence, involving typically only one or two cases a year.

Operation Cyclamen

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department at how many UK (a) airports and (b) border points Operation Cyclamen is being implemented.

David Blunkett: Programme Cyclamen equipment provides the capability to routinely screen all forms of traffic at UK points of entry for the illicit movement of radioactive materials. Screening operations commenced in April. For security reasons it would not in the public interest to be more specific.

Operation Cyclamen

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has discussed the technology used in Operation Cyclamen with his counterparts in (a) other EU and (b) other countries.

David Blunkett: The Government have had useful discussions and exchanges with counterparts in the US, EU and elsewhere, regarding the radiation screening equipment used in the Programme Cyclamen. A wide range of detection and security equipment is already in place around the world.

Operation Cyclamen

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the first use of the technology of Operation Cyclamen took place in the UK.

David Blunkett: Trials of the Programme Cyclamen equipment were first undertaken at selected UK points of entry in 2002. Permanent screening commenced in April this year.

Operation Cyclamen

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training is provided to those using Cyclamen chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear technology.

David Blunkett: The HMCE Customs Officers operating the Programme Cyclamen equipment receive training in radiation protection awareness in addition to training on the operating procedures for the equipment.

Operation Cyclamen

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether those using Cyclamen technology are (a) customs officials and (b) private security officers.

David Blunkett: The operation of Cyclamen Programme detection equipment at UK points of entry, is undertaken by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise officers.

Operation Cyclamen

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what implications the Madrid bombings of 11 March have for Operation Cyclamen.

David Blunkett: The tragic events of March 11 further hardened our resolve to combat the international terrorist threat, in all its forms. The Government already have in place proven contingency plans for responding to a wide range of terrorist actions, including those at Madrid.
	Programme Cyclamen is an ongoing programme of work, which commenced in April 2003 covering the routine screening of all forms of traffic, at UK ports of entry, for the illicit movement of radioactive materials. It is one element of the Government's strategy to reduce the threat of terrorist attack.

Overseas Bribery

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the allegations of overseas bribery on the national register held by the National Criminal Intelligence Service relate to offences prior to 14 February 2002.

Caroline Flint: The number of cases recorded on the register that pre-date the legislation is five.
	This could rise to six as additional documentation is received on an earlier referral that was previously recorded for information only.

Mr. Yalcin

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the letter to the hon. Member for Totnes dated 11 May 2004 concerning Mr. Fahettin Yalcin, formerly of Brixham, Devon, when Mr.Yalcin will be deported from the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: holding answer 26 May 2004
	I have already written to the hon. Member on 11 May explaining that information relating to the immigration status of an individual is treated as confidential. This reflects the Home Office's legal obligations under common law, human rights and data protection legislation, and the treatment of private and personal information under the Code of Practice on Access to Information. I have also given him limited information about the case "in confidence" and can assure him that the case is with the Immigration Service. However, it would be inappropriate to make a statement giving details that could prejudice an operational matter of this kind.

Police (Data Sharing)

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what data sharing system each police force is operating or proposing to operate; whether the systems are compatible; what he is doing to ensure compatibility; what his estimate is of the cost of ensuring compatibility; whether he will be requiring compatibility; what resources will be invested, and from what sources, for compatibility; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Police Services operate a number of systems for different operational purposes and the extent of data sharing between these has depended on local requirements. The "Information Strategy for the Police Service" provides guidance to forces on technical integration of systems and a corporate data model to support data sharing both within and between forces. The Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO) and its Central Customer are actively engaged with forces, the Association of Chief Police Officers and others in articulating the information sharing needs of the Police Service. A specific initiative to facilitate data sharing in support of the National Intelligence Model is incorporated within the Home Office Police Science and Technology Strategy. The first step is a feasibility and costing study. This will link with the Cross Regional Information Sharing Project (CRISP) that is being taken forward by a consortium of forces, supported by PITO, to share information across force boundaries.

Police Numbers

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there were in the Lancashire Constabulary in (a) 1992, (b) 1997, (c) 2002 and (d) the latest year for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is given in the table.
	
		Police officer strength(23) Lancashire Constabulary
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 31 March 1992 3,198 
			 31 March 1997 3,247 
			 31 March 2002 3,304 
			 31 March 2003(24) 3,339 
		
	
	(23) full time equivalents
	(24) comparable with previously published data i.e. excludes staff on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave.
	The latest available figures for the end of the year were issued with Home Office Press Release 095/2004 on 2 March 2004. On 31 December 2003 Lancashire Constabulary police officer strength was 3,549.

Probation Service

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of probation officers required over the next five years.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 27 May 2004
	On current projections the number of probation staff will increase to 23,200 by 2008.

Public Order

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) arrests and (b) convictions there have been for breaching a designated public place order in each year since 2001.

Hazel Blears: Information on arrests collected centrally is based on persons arrested for "notifiable" offences only and therefore does not cover this offence, as it is not notifiable.
	The offence of alcohol consumption in a designated public place (Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001) came into force on 1 September 2001 and was recorded in the Home Office Court Proceedings database from 1 January 2002. The information collected shows that no persons were convicted of this offence in 2002.
	Statistics for 2003 will be published in the autumn.
	Fixed penalty notices for disorder have now been introduced in England and Wales covering 11 penalty offences. They have been introduced to provide the police with a quick and effective tool for dealing with minor disorder offences which saves both police and court time as well as providing the offender with an immediate punishment. The offence of drinking in a designated public place is included in the scheme. Home Office Research Findings No. 232 published in March this year gave details of the early results from the pilots of the scheme. This shows that for the period August 2002 to 28 March 2003 a total of four penalty notices were issued for the offence of drinking in a designated public place.

Recordable Offences

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes have been made to the list of recordable offences since 1997.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 9 June 2004
	All offences under provisions which carry the possibility of a custodial sentence are recordable, plus 52 other, non-imprisonable, offences specified in the Schedule to the National Police Records (Recordable Offences) Regulations 2000, as amended by the National Police Records (Recordable Offences) (Amendment) Regulations 2003. Regulations made prior to 1997 had listed five non-imprisonable offences as recordable
	section 1, Street Offences Act 1959 (offence of loitering or soliciting for purposes of prostitution);
	section 43, Telecommunications Act 1984 (offence of improper use of public telecommunications system);
	section 29, Road Traffic Act 1972 (penalisation of tampering with vehicles);
	section 1, Malicious Communications Act 1988 (offence of sending letters etc. with intent to cause distress or anxiety); and
	section 139(1), Criminal Justice Act 1988 (offence of having article with blade or point in public place).
	The National Police Records (Recordable Offences) (Amendment) Regulations 1997 added a further 42 offences to the list. The 2000 Regulations added a further 5 offences, and at the same time consolidated the provisions, including the list. Most recently, the 2003 Amendment Regulations added offences of taxi touting, begging and persistent begging to the list, and made some tidying-up amendments including removing from the list three offences which are now imprisonable and therefore no longer needed to be specified in the list as recordable.

Seasonal Fruit Pickers

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average age is of seasonal fruit pickers who came to work in the UK in the last three years.

Des Browne: holding answer 24 May 2004
	Non-EU nationals working as seasonal fruit pickers in the UK come under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS). Data about the average age of SAWS participants prior to 2004 is not available.
	The average age of SAWS participants who have been issued work cards to work on the scheme in 2004 is 22.

Seasonal Fruit Pickers

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of time a contracted seasonal fruit picker spent working in the UK in the last three years.

Des Browne: holding answer 24 May 2004
	Non-EU nationals working as seasonal fruit pickers in the UK come under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS). Data about the average length of contract for SAWS participants prior to 2004 is not available.
	We anticipate that SAWS participants who have been issued work cards for 2004 will work on the scheme for an average of 4.7 months. Participants may only work for a maximum of six months on SAWS.

Sentencing

John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the dialogue between the Judicial Studies Board and the Sentencing Advisory Council.

Paul Goggins: I am satisfied with the arrangements for dialogue between the Judicial Studies Board and the Sentencing Guidelines Council. The Chair of the Judicial Studies Board's Criminal Committee is ex officio a member of the Sentencing Guidelines Council and there is regular contact between officials form both organisations.

Telecommunications Masts

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 12 May 2004, Official Report, column 352W, on Tetra, what further work has been carried out by the National Radiological Protection Board on modelling specific absorption rates arising from Tetra masts.

Caroline Flint: The National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) has calculated specific absorption rates from Tetra handsets. Even in worst case situations, these were found to be well below international health and safety guidelines. In areas accessible to the public, signals from Tetra masts are very much weaker than those from handsets. The NRPB has not carried out any further work on specific absorption rates from Tetra masts.

Telecommunications Masts

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 12 May 2004, Official Report, column 352W, on Tetra, what research has been carried out by the Radiocommunications Agency (now Ofcom) in checking the biological effects of low level electro-magnetic radiation from Tetra base station.

Caroline Flint: Ofcom does not carry out any research on the potential biological effects of low level electro-magnetic radiation. Ofcom does however check that signal levels from base stations comply with health and safety guidelines. Ofcom checks at 12 Tetra base stations have confirmed that signal levels are hundreds of times less than international health and safety guidelines in areas accessible to the public.

Telecommunications Masts

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 12 May 2004, Official Report, column 352W, on Tetra, what research is being carried out by King's College, London under the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research programme into the health effect of Tetra base stations and masts.

Caroline Flint: King's College London is already assessing the effects of GSM mobile phone handsets on cognitive performance and stress levels. It will extend the study to Tetra handsets in 2005. No work is planned on Tetra base stations or masts.

Telecommunications Masts

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 12 May 2004, Official Report, column 352W, on Tetra, when he expects each of the research projects he refers to in his answer to report.

Caroline Flint: We expect two final reports from Dstl during 2004: the first on biological effects of Tetra in September and the second on cognitive performance in December. The Universities of Birmingham and Manchester are due to report in October 2004. MCL is due to report in December 2005.
	Because Imperial College is carrying out a long-term study, its interim report is not due until 2010.
	Interim reports from these studies are available from the Home Office website: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs/tetra.html, as are final reports from completed studies.

Telecommunications Masts

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 12 May 2004, Official Report, column 352W, on Tetra, if he will list the people carrying out the research by Microwave Consultants Ltd. into specific absorption rates from Tetra equipment; whether this research includes Tetra masts; and what the source of funding is for this research.

Caroline Flint: The main Microwave Consultants Ltd. expert currently working on specific absorption rates from Tetra equipment is Dr. Philip Chadwick. The research does not include Tetra masts. It is funded by the Home Office.

Worker Registration Scheme

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons from the new EU states have made an application under the Worker Registration Scheme since 1 May.

Des Browne: holding answer 24 May 2004
	We will be making information about the effect of EU enlargement available on a regular basis, in an open and transparent way, when it is appropriate and meaningful to do so.

HEALTH

Abortions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many abortions were performed on women aged (a) 11, (b) 12, (c) 13, (d) 14, (e) 15, (f) 16, (g) 17, (h) 18 and (i) 19 in England and Wales in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many abortions among women aged (a) 11, (b) 12, (c) 13, (d) 14, (e) 15, (f) 16, (g) 17, (h) 18 and (i) 19 there were in each year since 2000, broken down by strategic health authority; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many abortions in those aged (a) 11, (b) 12, (c) 13, (d) 14, (e) 15, (f) 16, (g) 17, (h) 18 and (i) 19 there were in each year since 2000;
	(2)  how many abortions were carried out on women aged (a) 11, (b) 12, (c) 13, (d) 14, (e) 15, (f) 16, (g) 17, (h) 18 and (i) 19 in the Essex Strategic Health Authority in each year since 2000.

Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many abortions were performed on women aged (a) 11, (b) 12, (c) 13, (d) 14, (e) 15, (f) 16, (g) 17, (h) 18 and (i) 19 years in each year since 2000;
	(2)  how many abortions among women aged (a) 11, (b) 12, (c) 13, (d) 14, (e) 15, (f) 16, (g) 17, (h) 18 and (i) 19 years there were in the Essex Strategic Health Authority area in each year since 2000.

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions among women aged (a) 11, (b) 12, (c) 13, (d) 14, (e) 15, (f) 16, (g) 17, (h) 18 and (i) 19 years there were in the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority in each year since 2000.

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many abortions among women aged (a) 11, (b) 12, (c) 13, (d) 14, (e) 15, (f) 16, (g) 17, (h) 18 and (i) 19 years there were in the Thames Valley Strategic Health Authority area in each year since 2000.

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions among women aged (a) 11, (b) 12, (c) 13, (d) 14, (e) 15, (f) 16, (g) 17, (h) 18 and (i) 19 years there were in the Dorset and Somerset Strategic Health Authority area in each year since 2000.

Marion Roe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions among women aged (a) 11, (b) 12, (c) 13, (d) 14, (e) 15, (f) 16, (g) 17, (h) 18 and (i) 19 years there were in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Strategic Health Authority in each year since 2000.

Melanie Johnson: I refer the hon. Members to the response I gave to my hon. Friends the Members for Workington (Tony Cunningham) and for Heywood and Middleton (Jim Dobbin) today.

Abortions

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the circumstances under which a girl under 16 years of age may obtain an abortion without parental consent.

Melanie Johnson: An abortion can only ever be carried out where two doctors are satisfied that one of the grounds for a lawful termination, as set out in the Abortion Act 1967, is met.
	Health professionals can provide medical advice, treatment and examination, including abortion, for young people aged under 16. However they must be satisfied before doing so, that the young person is competent to consent to the treatment, by being of sufficient understanding and intelligence to enable him or her to understand fully the proposed treatment. Health professionals work within an established legal and guidance framework which involves assessing the young person's competence to understand the choices they are making and in particular encouraging them to talk to their parents. All health professionals are bound by their professional code and legal obligations as to confidentiality, which apply to patients under 16 as well as older patients.
	The duty of confidentiality is not, however, absolute. In the rare cases when a health professional believes that there is a risk to the health, safety or welfare of a young person or others which is so serious as to outweigh the young person's right to privacy, they should follow locally agreed child protection protocols, as outlined in "Working together to safeguard Children".

Abortions

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many abortions among women aged (a) 11, (b) 12, (c) 13, (d) 14, (e) 15, (f) 16, (g) 17, (h) 18 and (i) 19 there were in West Cumbria Strategic Health Authority area in each year since 2000;
	(2)  how many abortions on women aged (a) 11, (b) 12, (c) 13, (d) 14, (e) 15, (f) 16, (g) 17, (h) 18 and (i) 19 years there were in each year since 2000.

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many abortions among women of 19 years and under there were in Greater Manchester Strategic Health Authority in each year since 2000, broken down by age;
	(2)  how many abortions in women of 19 years and under there were in each year since 2000, broken down by age.

Melanie Johnson: The available information is shown in the tables.
	
		Number of abortions to women under age 20 by strategic health authority of residence, 2000
		
			  Age 
			 Strategic health authority <14 14 15 16 17 18 19 
		
		
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 8 23 76 174 236 298 269 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 1 22 70 140 219 268 280 
			 Essex 6 25 68 159 199 268 265 
			 North West London 7 31 88 203 357 403 568 
			 North Central London 4 26 59 159 230 324 409 
			 North East London 8 43 124 213 368 450 494 
			 South East London 14 38 95 234 349 460 532 
			 South West London 9 21 74 151 215 291 338 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 2 29 101 162 229 261 275 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley 4 21 71 108 160 179 195 
			 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire 7 28 90 164 238 272 262 
			 West Yorkshire 5 38 97 211 307 328 360 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 3 29 116 205 293 355 320 
			 Greater Manchester 5 38 145 328 419 551 569 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside 5 35 114 284 407 495 503 
			 Thames Valley 7 34 96 225 259 307 396 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 4 21 79 147 236 245 310 
			 Kent and Medway 3 26 77 139 233 254 285 
			 Surrey and Sussex 2 37 100 215 331 368 419 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 8 34 100 180 256 294 372 
			 South West Peninsula 4 24 59 133 198 214 224 
			 Somerset and Dorset 3 14 57 85 161 163 144 
			 South Yorkshire 4 26 91 159 184 222 251 
			 Trent 6 44 108 241 331 357 447 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland 6 21 74 150 201 248 290 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire 1 29 84 152 209 235 236 
			 Birmingham and the Black Country 14 49 154 267 432 530 570 
			 Coventry, Warwickshire, Hereford and Worcestershire 4 30 91 173 233 287 335 
			 SHA not known 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 
			 
			 Wales 7 50 141 277 404 528 512 
			 
			 England and Wales Total 161 886 2,700 5,439 7,895 9,455 10,430 
		
	
	
		2001
		
			  Age 
			 Strategic Heath Authority <14 14 15 16 17 18 19 
		
		
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 6 27 71 168 246 286 303 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 6 25 80 137 219 255 292 
			 Essex 6 18 66 154 218 270 290 
			 North West London 7 24 90 196 331 466 588 
			 North Central London 3 29 63 162 265 325 445 
			 North East London 5 38 112 267 363 487 554 
			 South East London 13 38 121 287 406 500 584 
			 South West London 5 21 71 145 247 246 318 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 3 32 89 157 214 259 237 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley 3 26 57 111 164 188 170 
			 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire 1 32 68 154 231 255 244 
			 West Yorkshire 8 31 89 210 268 351 362 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 5 38 113 196 283 312 318 
			 Greater Manchester 6 57 142 299 458 517 511 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside 6 34 108 295 395 448 471 
			 Thames Valley 3 24 79 196 286 348 420 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 1 32 88 140 239 277 336 
			 Kent and Medway 6 30 80 169 228 279 281 
			 Surrey and Sussex 5 34 97 219 302 373 397 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 6 39 82 185 290 308 398 
			 South West Peninsula 4 24 76 114 204 239 229 
			 Somerset and Dorset 4 13 37 132 153 159 167 
			 South Yorkshire 3 34 77 158 183 221 244 
			 Trent 7 38 131 240 298 378 395 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland 2 26 51 143 206 255 278 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire 4 22 57 180 209 217 210 
			 Birmingham and the Black Country 12 54 145 315 439 504 517 
			 Coventry, Warwickshire, Hereford and Worcestershire 3 26 89 179 225 277 295 
			 
			 Wales 5 51 163 344 394 465 497 
			 
			 England and Wales total 148 917 2,592 5,652 7,964 9,465 10,351 
		
	
	
		2002(25)
		
			  Age 
			 Strategic health authority <14 14 15 16 17 18 19 
		
		
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 6 23 73 168 217 266 269 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 4 22 57 144 208 225 264 
			 Essex 3 14 64 136 239 256 248 
			 North West London 9 28 79 211 338 403 490 
			 North Central London 11 25 69 170 283 325 388 
			 North East London 6 37 104 255 394 475 540 
			 South East London 11 31 123 298 389 477 555 
			 South West London 4 25 71 160 214 279 312 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 6 23 78 138 205 236 242 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley 5 18 73 111 177 151 185 
			 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire 2 27 82 137 221 246 252 
			 West Yorkshire 5 41 104 188 262 336 362 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 7 37 90 192 275 271 305 
			 Greater Manchester 2 35 129 280 403 484 482 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside 4 41 111 252 396 425 449 
			 Thames Valley 5 17 105 195 278 340 395 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 9 27 75 139 244 263 328 
			 Kent and Medway 6 20 71 152 207 254 269 
			 Surrey and Sussex 3 18 87 190 295 325 398 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 3 22 81 187 263 330 337 
			 South West Peninsula 2 24 62 111 225 207 238 
			 Somerset and Dorset 5 14 48 85 161 180 158 
			 South Yorkshire 5 35 94 182 191 215 229 
			 Trent 6 42 121 218 328 355 409 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland 4 31 56 136 219 244 283 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire 7 20 80 143 186 228 242 
			 Birmingham and the Black Country 8 33 135 267 395 478 558 
			 Coventry, Warwickshire, Hereford and Worcestershire 5 28 90 184 230 281 281 
			 SHA not known 1 2 13 19 50 53 75 
			 
			 Wales 4 39 132 260 392 449 451 
			 
			 England and Wales total 158 799 2,557 5,308 7,885 9,057 9,994 
		
	
	(25) Provisional data.
	Source:
	Produced by Statistics Division, Department of Health.

Abortions

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions there were in women aged 11 to 19 years in each year since 2000 in the Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Avon Strategic Health Authority, broken down by age.

Melanie Johnson: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave my hon. Friends the Members for Workington (Tony Cunningham) and for Heywood and Middleton (Jim Dobbin) today.

Acupuncture

Bill O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the future of medical acupuncturists who practise the traditional acupuncture service.

John Hutton: On 2 March, the Department published proposals for the statutory regulation of herbal medicine and acupuncture practitioners. The consultation period closes on 7 June. We are aware of the interests of both medical and traditional acupuncturists and will consider their representations very carefully.

Adult Education

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the therapeutic benefits of adult education.

Melanie Johnson: The "Acheson Inquiry into Inequalities in Health" found that education has an important role in influencing inequalities in socio-economic position. Educational qualifications are a determinant of an individual's labour market position, which in turn influences income, housing and other material resources. These are related to health inequalities.
	A report by the social exclusion unit on mental health and social exclusion is due for publication shortly. The report covers a wide range of issues, including the positive effect that participation in learning can have on mental health.

Air Pollution

Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many adult deaths as a result of air pollution there were in the last year for which figures are available.

Melanie Johnson: Air pollution is associated with an increased risk of death from respiratory and cardiovascular disease but only estimates of numbers of deaths can be made, based on the findings of epidemiological studies. The committee on the medical effects of air pollutants published a report: quantification of the effects of air pollution on health in the United Kingdom (QUARK) in 1998. The report estimated that 8,100 deaths were brought forward as a result of exposure to particles: the equivalent figures for sulphur dioxide and ozone being 3,500 and 700 or 12,500, depending on the assumption of threshold for the effects of ozone respectively. Particle concentrations have fallen since 1998 though urban concentrations of ozone are rising albeit slowly. A revision of the QUARK report will be published in 2006.

Care Records Service

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether additional resources will be made available to general practitioners using the EMIS system to migrate to the new Care Records Service.

John Hutton: The national programme for information technology (NPfIT) has awarded a number of contracts to local service providers (LSPs) to act as prime contractors to deliver the elements of the NPfIT in a geographical area. It is the primary responsibility of the LSPs to work with national health service healthcare providers, including general practitioners, to deliver the solutions that the NHS needs. This will include working with EMIS and other primary care system providers to ensure that the systems currently in use across the NHS conform to the national standards required and can be upgraded to integrate with new national applications as they come on line. If this is not the case, GPs will be offered a choice of a new compliant system. The costs of this have been included in funding allocations for the NPfIT and to the NHS.

Children's Hospital (Manchester)

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his latest estimate is of the date on which work will start on the site for the construction of the new children's hospital in Manchester.

Melanie Johnson: The estimated date on which work will start on the site for the construction of the new children's hospital in Manchester is late July 2004.

Clinical Advisers (IT Forum)

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to involve (a) clinicians and (b) end users in the development of the NHS IT system; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: I have appointed Professor Aidan Halligan, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, as joint senior responsible owner and director general for the national programme for information technology (NPfIT). Professor Halligan now leads on work to engage doctors and other clinicians to ensure that the national health service IT system meets the needs of users and supports the Government's priority of improving patient treatment.
	On 30 April 2004, we announced plans to further improve engagement with NHS stakeholders to support the implementation of the NPflT. We have set up a new frontline support academy for clinicians. We are currently reviewing the formal arrangements for engaging with the NHS, patients and other stakeholders and we expect to make an announcement on this later in the summer.
	Extensive consultation has already taken place with clinical representative groups, including the professional Royal Colleges, the General Medical Council and the British Medical Council, all of whom have provided valuable input. As well as the national professional bodies and groups, the NPfIT team has also engaged closely with expert primary care practitioners, including practising general practitioners. This consultation helped to inform the requirement which was published in the system's output-based specification. Clinicians and users were also involved in evaluating the proof of solution demonstrators developed by suppliers and in evaluating the supplier bids.
	In all, the NPfIT has to date hosted around 400 local events involving managers, clinicians, allied health professionals and IT staff. Over 21,000 individuals have been involved as part of a concerted effort to ensure as many people as possible have the opportunity to influence local plans to prepare for phased implementation from summer 2004.

Correspondence

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects a reply to be made to the letter to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, dated 7 April, from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan, regarding his constituent Mr. T Curran of Banff.

Melanie Johnson: A reply was sent to the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan on Tuesday 8 June.

Correspondence

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when a letter will be sent to the hon. Member for West Chelmsford concerning Olympus and his constituent, Mr. Dyckhoff, following the meeting which the hon. Member for West Chelmsford had with the Minister of State for Health, the right hon. Member for Barrow and Furness (Mr. Hutton), on 10 March 2004.

Melanie Johnson: A letter was sent to the hon. Member on 9 June 2004.

Dentistry

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists there have been in Pendle in each year since 1994.

Melanie Johnson: The number of national health service dentists in the health authority areas covering Pendle since 1994 is given in the table for September each year.
	
		NHS dental services: number of dentists in Lancashire Family Health Service Authority (FHSA), East Lancashire Health Authority (HA) and Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale primary care trust (PCT)
		
			 September each year 
			  Lancashire FHSA East Lancashire HA Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale PCT 
		
		
			 1994 507 — — 
			 1995 511 — — 
			 1996 — 191 — 
			 1997 — 190 — 
			 1998 — 201 — 
			 1999 — 195 — 
			 2000 — 200 — 
			 2001 — 210 — 
			 2002 — — 97 
			 2003 — — 98 
		
	
	Note:
	NHS dentists cover dentists working in the general dental service (GDS), hospital dental service (HDS), community dental service (CDS), personal dental service (PDS) and salaried service of the GDS. Dentists working in more than one dental service are included in each service, apart from dentists working in both PDS and GDS who are counted only once.
	Source:
	Department of Health Statistics

Dentistry

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on NHS dentistry in the Vale of York.

Melanie Johnson: There are 111 dentists in the Selby and York Primary Care Trust area. The PCT is working with local dentists to develop a dental action plan to improve access to national health service dentistry in the area.

Departmental IT Budget

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what proportion of the Department's IT budget will be assigned to the roll-out of picture archiving and communications systems; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the time scale is for introducing picture archiving and communication systems across the NHS.

John Hutton: Picture archiving and communications system (PACS) technology funded under the national programme for information technology will begin to be introduced across the national health service during summer 2004. The aim is for national coverage to be complete within three years.
	In 2004–05, £60 million of central funding—approximately 4 per cent. of total anticipated NHS information management and technology expenditure—will be provided to support investment in buying and implementing PACS. Expenditure on implementing PACS technology in future years will be determined and announced in due course.

Dermatology Waiting Times

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the impact of the two-week wait rule on dermatology waiting times.

Keith Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect of the two-week wait rule on the management of suspected skin cancers in the North West of England;
	(2)  whether his Department plans to conduct an audit of the two-week wait rule for suspected cancer referrals in the North West of England;
	(3)  what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the two-week wait rule on dermatology waiting times in the North West of England.

Melanie Johnson: A two-week out-patient waiting time standard was introduced for urgently referred cases of suspected skin cancer from October 2000. In the last quarter (October to December 2003), 99.5 per cent. of urgently referred patients with suspected skin cancer were seen within two weeks of urgent referral. We have issued general practitioner cancer referral guidelines to assist GPs in determining which patients need to be referred urgently to see a specialist within two weeks, those patients that can be referred for a routine appointment and patients who can be safely watched at a primary care level. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence is currently reviewing the referral guidelines.
	The referral guidelines should be used to agree local referral criteria and referral pathways. All national health service trusts have been encouraged to undertake local audit to assess the impact of the two-week wait on local services and to enable the appropriateness of urgent and routine referrals against the guidelines to be fed back to referring GPs.

Doctors (EU Member States)

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors from other EU member states were employed in the NHS in the last year for which data is available.

John Hutton: As at September 2003, there were 109,964 doctors working in the national health service, of whom 5,379 gained their primary medical qualification outside the United Kingdom but within the European Economic Area.

Embryology

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which licensed fertility clinics are involved in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority pilot scheme on embryo donation; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: The Medical Research Council together with the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) have written a patient information leaflet and a standard consent form to be used for patients who express an interest in donating embryos for the purpose of deriving stem cells. These documents were sent to a number of centres that have a licence to use human embryos to derive stem cells and are contributing to the MRC stem cell initiative. The centres were asked to pilot these documents for three months which ended on 31 March 2004. The feedback forms will then be evaluated by the steering committee of the United Kingdom stem cell bank and for the use of stem cell lines and the HFEA before being finalised and sent to all relevant in vitro fertilisation centres in the UK. The participating centres are as follows:
	Assisted Conception Unit, Birmingham Women's Hospital
	Assisted Conception Unit, John Radcliffe Hospital
	Assisted Conception Unit, University of Aberdeen
	Institute for Stem Cell Research, University of Edinburgh
	Assisted Conception Unit, Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital, London
	The Bridge Centre, London
	Section of Reproductive and Developmental Medicine, The Jessop Wing, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield
	The Hewitt Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Liverpool Women's Hospital, Liverpool
	International Centre at Life, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
	Department of Gene Expression and Development, Roslin Institute, Midlothian
	Department of Reproductive Medicine, St. Mary's Hospital, Manchester
	Assisted Conception Unit, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London

Embryology

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations his Department has received from members of the public regarding the code of practice for the United Kingdom stem cell bank; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: No representations have been received from members of the public regarding the code of practice for the United Kingdom stem cell bank.

Embryology

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to publish the code of practice for the new United Kingdom stem cell bank; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: An interim code of practice for the United Kingdom stem cell bank is posted on the Medical Research Council website. Some changes may be required after the consultation on the companion code of practice on the use of stem cell lines finishes at the end of this month. The steering committee for the stem cell bank and for the use of stem cell lines will consider the responses to the consultation. The codes of practice are expected to be published by the Medical Research Council in the autumn.

Embryology

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who the peer reviewers are, appointed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to consider the application to the HFEA by Professor Alison Murdoch for a licence to create human embryonic stem cell lines using nuclear transfer and pathenogenically activated oocytes; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: The use of external peer reviewers is an essential part of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) process for evaluating applications for research licences. All applications are sent to at least two reviewers who are asked to determine whether the application comes within the statutory purposes of the 1990 Act (as amended), requires human embryos to fulfil its aims and objectives, requires the numbers and types of embryos outlined in the application, and meets the requirements of the HFEA code of practice including ethical approval and patient information.
	Assessment must not only avoid conflict of interest between reviewers and applicants but also avoid circumstances that might give the impression that there is a conflict of interest. Therefore all peer reviewers must declare any conflict of interest in an application that they have been asked to review. Furthermore, peer reviewers have an obligation to protect the ideas and plans of the applicants. The identity of the reviewers of individual research applications is confidential to the HFEA. This confidentiality allows the free exchange of views among reviewers and is in line with the policies of the United Kingdom funding bodies and scientific and medical journals. A list of peer reviewers, current as of 31 August 2003, is published in the HFEA annual report 2002–03 and an updated list will be published on the HFEA website and the next annual report.

Entitlement Cards

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the Scottish Executive on the NHS in England and Wales requiring entitlement cards when the Scottish NHS does not; and how this situation would affect Scottish citizens who do not have an entitlement card using the NHS in England and Wales.

John Hutton: The Home Office has lead responsibility for developing the national identity cards scheme. The introduction of such a scheme is a long-term undertaking and there are on-going discussions to which the Department and Scottish Executive are contributing.
	As set out in the draft Identity Cards Bill consultation paper, published on 26 April this year, the registration of individuals and the issue of identity cards will operate on a United Kingdom-wide basis, including if and when the scheme becomes compulsory. However, the use of cards to access services will be a matter for the individual Departments concerned and, in the case of devolved services such as health, for the devolved administrations. We are working together to discuss how any potential differences, including for health service provision, would work in practice.

Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the training issues for maternity services that would apply to a demerger of the Epsom and St. Helier NHS Trust.

John Hutton: No plans exist within Epsom and St. Helier National Health Services Trust or South West London Strategic Health Authority for the demerger of Epsom and St Helier at this time.
	Furthermore, the trust has not undertaken any studies in relation to any services on the effect of a demerger.

EU Council Resolution 92/C172/01

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the implementation of EU Council Resolution 92/C172/01.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 7 June 2004
	European Council Resolution 92/C172/01 of 18 June 1992 aims to offer support to the competent authorities of third countries in their efforts to apply the International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes in their territories.
	The European Community cannot legislate for third countries. However, as provided for in Resolution 92/C172/01, the European Commission has instructed its delegations in third countries to serve as contact points for receiving, from the competent authorities in those countries, any complaints about or criticisms of marketing practices in those countries by Community-based manufacturers of infant formulae and follow-on formulae.

Family Clinics

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many attendances at family clinics by people aged (a) 11, (b) 12, (c) 13, (d) 14, (e) 15, (f) 16, (g) 17, (h) 18 and (i) 19 years there were in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority in each year since 2000, broken down by sex;
	(2)  how many women aged (a) 11, (b) 12, (c) 13, (d) 14, (e) 15, (f) 16, (g) 17, (h) 18 and (i) 19 years were fitted with a contraceptive implant in the Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority in each year since 2000.

Melanie Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friends, the Members for Workington (Tony Cunningham) and for Heywood and Middleton (Jim Dobbin) on 7 June 2004, Official Report, columns 34–36W.

Food Supplements Directive

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what costs were incurred by the Government in opposing the application of the Health Food Manufacturers Association and the National Association of Health Stores to the High Court in London for referral to the European Court of Justice of their case in relation to the Food Supplements Directive; and if he will make it his policy not to pursue those costs should the case prove unsuccessful.

Melanie Johnson: The legal costs incurred by the Department in opposing the application of the Health Food Manufacturers Association and the National Association of Health Stores with regards to the Food Supplements Directive were in the region of £13,000. Should the claimants' case prove unsuccessful, it would be normal Government practice to pursue the legal costs incurred.

Foreign Patients

John Lyons: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many trusts were treating foreign patients on the latest date for which figures are available.

John Hutton: National health service trusts are not required to submit statistics on the nationality of patients treated.

GP Waiting Times

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of NHS patients were able to see a general practitioner within two days within London health authority areas in each year since 1997.

John Hutton: Data for London strategic health authorities (SHAs) are shown in the table.
	
		Percentage of patients being offered an appointment with a general practitioner within 48 hours
		
			 SHA September 2001(26) March 2002(26) March 2003 March 2004 
		
		
			 North West London 75.4 69.5 80.0 96.9 
			 North Central London 70.2 58.9 79.8 99.4 
			 North East London 62.6 56.9 82.3 99.3 
			 South East London 68.0 66.2 92.4 96.0 
			 South West London 84.9 77.4 89.6 98.6 
		
	
	(26) Data collected between September 2001 and March 2002 are based on percentage of practices not patients and are not strictly comparable but are included here for completeness. Data for 2001–02 are an aggregation of data originally collected from the then 95 health authorities.

Health Expenditure

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much public funding has been spent on health in Blackpool North and Fleetwood in each of the last seven years.

Melanie Johnson: This information is not available in the format requested. Expenditure per weighted head in the Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area, which includes the constituency of Blackpool North and Fleetwood, has increased from £600.03 in 1997–98 to £1,173.57 in 2002–03, the latest year available. However, this does not represent the total expenditure per head as an element of health expenditure cannot be identified by SHA area.

Health Services (Manchester)

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on NHS waiting times for heart surgery in Manchester, Blackley.

Melanie Johnson: In June 1998, the earliest data available, 19 people waited between nine and 11 months and 23 people were waiting 12 months or more for heart surgery in the former Manchester health authority area. In March 2004, no patient waited over nine months for heart surgery in the North Manchester Primary Care Trust area.

Heart Disease

Ann Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research the Department has commissioned into coronary heart disease, with particular reference to the incidence of the disease in Asian communities.

Melanie Johnson: The Department has in the last year commissioned a study of the experience of advance heart failure and access to palliative care for south Asian patients and their family carers. Other current research into coronary heart disease commissioned by the Department includes a £0.4 million study of the cost effectiveness of functional cardiac testing in its diagnosis and management; and a review of risk scoring methods and clinical decision aids used in primary prevention.

Heart Surgery (Warrington)

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time was for heart surgery in Warrington hospital (a) in 1997 and (b) at the latest date for which figures are available.

Melanie Johnson: In June 1998, earliest data available, eight people waited between nine and 11 months, and six people were waiting 12 months or more for heart surgery in the former North Cheshire Health Authority area. In March 2004, there was no one waiting over nine months for heart surgery in the Warrington Primary Care Trust area.
	
		Mean, median waiting time and number of admissions for finished in-year admissions for elective (waiting time and booked) with main operative procedure K01-K71, national health service hospitals, England 1997–98 and 2002–03
		
			   K01-K71 heart operative procedures 
			  PCT of responsibility 1997–98 2002–03 
		
		
			 5J2 Warrington PCT   
			  Mean waiting time (in-year finished admissions) 58 114 
			  Median waiting time (in-year finished  admissions) 23 84 
			  Number of in-year finished admissions 362 538 
		
	
	Notes:
	Time Waited
	Time waited statistics from Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are not the same as the published waiting list statistics. HES provides counts and time waited for all patients admitted to hospital within a given period whereas the published waiting list statistics count those waiting for treatment on a specific date and how long they have been on the waiting list. Also, HES calculates the time waited as the difference between the admission and decision to admit dates. Unlike published waiting list statistics, this is not adjusted for self-deferrals or periods of medical/social suspension.
	Main Operation
	The main operation is the first recorded operation in the HES data set and is usually the most resource intensive procedure performed during the episode. It is appropriate to use main operation when looking at admission details, for example, time waited, but the figures for all operations count of episodes give a more complete count of episodes with an operation.
	Finished in-year admissions
	A finished in-year admission is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within provider, excluding admissions beginning before 1 April at the start of the data year. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
	Grossing
	Figures are grossed for both coverage and missing/invalid clinical data, except for 2001–02 and 2002–03, which are not yet adjusted for shortfalls.
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health.

HIV

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Department is taking to reduce the number of people contracting HIV each year in England.

Melanie Johnson: The Government published the first ever national strategy for sexual health and HIV in 2001, followed by an implementation action plan in 2002. This is a 10 year strategy, which sets challenging goals to tackle HIV. Action to implement the strategy includes strengthening our HIV prevention work targeting those groups most at risk of infection, the publication last year of standards for HIV treatment and care and the publication of toolkits of best practice to support HIV prevention at local level.

Hospital Developments

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on recent hospital developments taking place within the Greater London area; and if he will list them.

John Hutton: Within the Greater London area the following hospital developments are taking place.
	
		
			 National Health Service Trust Estimated capital value (£ million) Funding(27) Status 
		
		
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 76 PFI Pre-procurement 
			 Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust 328 PFI Pre-procurement 
			 St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington NHS Trust 900 PFI Pre-procurement 
			 Barts and The London NHS Trust 1052 PFI In procurement 
			 North Middlesex Hospital NHS Trust 74 PFI In Procurement 
			 Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust 51 PFI In procurement 
			 Kingston Hospital NHS Trust 28 PFI In procurement 
			 University College London Hospitals NHS Trust 422 PFI Under construction 
			 Whittington Hospital NHS Trust 32 PFI Under construction 
			 Barnet PCT (Edgware Community) 24 Public Under construction 
			 Havering, Barking and Redbridge NHS Trust 238 PFI Under construction 
			 Newham Healthcare NHS Trust 52 PFI Under construction 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 69 PFI Under construction 
			 Brent PCT—Willesden 21 PFI Under construction 
			 Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Trust 50 Public Under construction 
			 Queen Mary's Roehampton 55 PFI Under construction 
		
	
	(27) PFI = Private finance initiative.
	Information on schemes with a capital value below £10 million is not held centrally.

Illegal Drug Users

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people he estimates were illegal drug users in the last year for which figures are available; and what the Government's plans are for reducing the number of people using illegal drugs.

Melanie Johnson: It is estimated that there are 250,000 Class A problem drug users in England and Wales (Home Office Research Study 2002). Problem drug users are defined as people who use illegal drugs and experience social, psychological, physical or legal problems.
	The Government are committed to tackling substance misuse and launched the updated Drugs Strategy in 2002. The Government are on track to meet the target in this strategy to double the number of people in treatment from 100,000 in 1998 to 200,000 by 2008 and to increase year-on-year the numbers retained or successfully completing treatment.

Independent Treatment Centres

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the contract price of treatments provided by independent treatment centres is expressed as a proportion of the relevant NHS tariff for that treatment.

John Hutton: holding answer 20 April 2004
	National health service national tariffs do not directly correspond to the packages of care we are purchasing from the independent sector in the treatment centre programme. For example, varying numbers of out-patient appointments and follow-up care are included in the procedure prices of the independent sector treatment centre provider, which are not included in NHS national tariff for individual procedures.
	For the single-procedure cataract chain, a price per cataract procedure was at nearly 10 per cent. less than the comparable NHS cost. Further contracts have been signed in relation to treatment centres at Daventry, Bradford, Trent and South Yorkshire, Plymouth, and the national, so-called spine chain. These contracts are for the provision of joint replacements, other orthopaedics and other elective procedures. For these treatment centres, it is not appropriate to directly compare NHS national tariffs with the bid price of providers.

Infertility Treatment

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have benefited from infertility treatment in (a) Shropshire and (b) England in each year since 1997.

Melanie Johnson: Information is not collected centrally on the assisted conception services provided to Shropshire patients. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority collects data on licensed treatments carried out in the United Kingdom. The numbers of patients treated and treatment cycles carried out are shown in the table:
	
		Licensed treatment carried out in the UK, 1997 to 2001
		
			  In vitro fertilisation (IVF) Donor insemination 
			  Patients Treatment cycles Patients Treatment cycles 
		
		
			 1997 26,291 34,017 5,077 13,169 
			 1998 27,279 35,559 4,453 11,453 
			 1999 26,707 34,684 3,866 9,985 
			 2000 26,548 34,634 3,395 8,102 
			 2001(28) 28,076 35,599 2,718 6,450 
		
	
	(28) 2001 is the most recent year for which information is currently available.
	Source:
	Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.

Lumbar Punctures

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how he has satisfied himself that lumbar punctures carried out on children at the Royal Free Hospital by the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Study Group since 1996 have had valid and explicit ethical approval from a properly constituted research ethics committee on the issues of full disclosure of the research's relevant interests and of the full clinical context.

Melanie Johnson: Based on information currently available to us, the Royal Free Ethics Committee approved the collection of data from clinically indicated investigations for a study entitled "Enteritis and Disintegrative Disorder following measles/rubella vaccination" in November 1996. The disintegrative disorder described in the protocol is Heller's disease, and the vaccine under investigation was measles/rubella vaccine.
	We also understand that the study title was changed to "Autism and Non-Specific Colitis and Lymophoid Nodular Hyperplasia" and the name change was approved by the Royal Free Ethics Committee in 1998.
	The Ethics Committee gave approval for the collection of data from clinically indicated investigations. The Committee did not take a view on which clinical investigations, such as lumbar puncture, were justified. This would usually be determined for each individual child involved, depending on their condition.

Manchester Children's Hospital

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the (a) monthly and (b) total cost of the delay in building the new Manchester Children's hospital.

Melanie Johnson: There has been no estimate of the monthly and total cost of the delay in building the new Manchester Children's hospital.

ME

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people his Department estimates had myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) in Greater London in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by (a) sex and (b) age group; how much (i) Government and (ii) non-government money has been spent on ME in Greater London since January 2002; if he will list the ME specialists there are in Greater London; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: This information requested is not collected centrally.
	This Government are committed to improving services for patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), which is also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). This is evidenced by the fact that:
	We endorsed the view of the independent working group that CFS/ME is a debilitating and distressing condition, which affects people of all ages.
	We have asked the Medical Research Council to develop a research strategy for CFS/ME.
	We have asked the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to develop guidelines for the diagnosis and management of CFS/ME.
	We have made available £8.5 million to develop services specifically designed for people with CFS/ME.
	In line with the Department's "Shifting the Balance of Power" initiative, allocations are made direct to primary care trusts (PCTs). It is now the responsibility of PCTs to commission services which meet the needs of their local populations.

Medical Staff

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) nurses, (b) midwives and (c) health visitors (i) were in post in 1997 and (ii) are in post; what plans there are for the future numbers of each in the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: Information on the numbers of nurses, midwives and health visitors employed in the national health service in September 1997 and 2003 is shown in the table.
	There are 67,500 more qualified nurses, midwives and health visitors employed in the NHS than in 1997. The Government have already met the NHS Plan, manifesto and delivering the NHS Plan targets for increasing the nursing workforce and is on course to meet the NHS Plan target for increasing the number of students entering training to become a nurse or midwife. The Government acknowledge that there are still more staff needed in these areas and we shall focus on increasing training places, retaining nursing staff and filling existing vacancies, it is for local NHS organisations to determine the number of nurses needed locally.
	
		NHS HCHS: qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff as at 30 September each specified year -- Headcount
		
			  1997 2003 
		
		
			 Qualified nursing, midwifery and HV staff 318,856 386,359 
			 Of which:   
			 Registered midwife 22,385 23,941 
			 Health visitor 12,410 12,984 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census.

Mersey Regional Ambulance Service

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to reduce sickness absence in the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of these policies.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 7 June 2004
	The information is not collected centrally. The measures used to address sickness absence rates within an organisation are matters for individual national health service organisations.

Ministerial Visits

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the travel costs incurred by (a) his Department and (b) each Minister within his Department, for each of the last 10 years.

Rosie Winterton: Expenditure details are available for the Department from the financial year 1994–95 and are shown in the table. The Department's finance systems do not maintain information by individual Ministers for each year.
	
		Departmental travel costs -- £
		
			  Expenditure 
		
		
			 1994–95 4,437,078 
			 1995–96 4,307,684 
			 1996–97 5,847,922 
			 1997–98 6,592,081 
			 1998–99 5,814,365 
			 1999–2000 7,080,034 
			 2000–01 7,295,706 
			 2001–02 7,972,843 
			 2002–03 7,607,890 
			 2003–04 (29)8,211,382 
		
	
	(29) Provisional

MMR Vaccine

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what scientific assessment he has made of the paper published in The Lancet in 1998 by Dr. Andrew Wakefield on the possible links between the MMR vaccine and autism; what research has been commissioned by his Department on the subject since the publication of Dr. Wakefield's paper; and if he will place in the Library copies of scientific critiques of Dr. Wakefield's paper commissioned or endorsed by his Department.

Melanie Johnson: The Government's independent scientific advisory body, the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM), has reviewed the work of Dr. Wakefield on the postulated association between measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccines and the development of autism and inflammatory bowel disease. This has included the study published in The Lancet in 1998. CSM has kept this issue under continual review and has consistently concluded that the available evidence does not support a causal association. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has also kept this issue under close review and is in full agreement with the CSM.
	A study, subsequently published in The Lancet in 1999, was commissioned by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (then the Medicines Control Agency) to look at the occurrence of autism in children born within the North Thames region before and after the introduction of MMR vaccination. The results of this study do not support the suggested causal association between MMR vaccine and autism.
	At the Chief Medical Officer's request, the Medical Research Council (MRC) held an independent scientific seminar on 23 March 1998 to review the work of Dr. Wakefield's group. At this seminar, Dr. Wakefield and his colleagues were given time fully to present their work including the data from the 1998 Lancet study. The meeting concluded that there was no evidence to indicate any link between MMR vaccination and bowel disease or autism and no reason for a change in the MMR vaccination policy. The Chief Medical Officer endorsed the conclusions of the MRC panel.

Nurses

Robert Wareing: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses were employed in hospitals in Liverpool in (a) 1997 and (b) 2003.

Melanie Johnson: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		National health service hospital and community health services: qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff including practice nurses employed by unrestricted principals and equivalents(30) (UPEs) in each specified organisation as at 30 September each specified year -- headcount
		
			  1997 2003 
		
		
			 Total specified organisations 4,544 7,626 
			 North Liverpool Primary Care Trust (PCT) n/a 246 
			 Central Liverpool PCT n/a 554 
			 South Liverpool PCT n/a 152 
			 Liverpool Cardiothoracic NHS Trust 336 528 
			 Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital NHS Trust 684 788 
			 Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology NHS Trust 98 142 
			 Walton Centre for Neurology/Neurosurgery NHS Trust 187 271 
			 Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospital NHS Trust 1,567 1,948 
			 Aintree Hospitals NHS Trust 1,185 1,120 
			 Liverpool Women's Hospital NHS Trust 487 699 
			 Mersey Care NHS Trust n/a 1,178 
		
	
	n/a = not applicable.
	Note:
	UPEs include general medical services unrestricted principals, personal medical services contracted general practitioners (GPs) and personal medical services salaried GPs.
	Sources:
	1. Department of Health non-medical workforce census.
	2. Department of Health general and personal medical services statistics.

Overseas Medical Treatment

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been sent abroad for medical treatment during the last 12 months.

John Hutton: A total of 353 people were sent abroad for medical treatment commissioned by the national health service in the last 12 months.

Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines govern the use of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy on patients with (a) cerebral palsy, (b) multiple sclerosis, (c) spina bifida, (d) cystic fibrosis, (e) Huntingdon's disease and (f) acquired brain injury (i) generally and (ii) for patients who are in receipt of residential care and support services provided by public, private or voluntary organisations.

Stephen Ladyman: We have not issued guidelines for this technique. The aim of percutaneuous endoscopic gastrostomy is to feed those who cannot swallow.
	The National Institute of Clinical Excellence issued guidelines in 2003 on the prevention of healthcare associated infections in primary and community care. The recommendations provide guidance on infection prevention and control precautions that should be applied by all healthcare personnel and carers.

Peripheral Vascular Disease

Andy King: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in the last year suffered from peripheral vascular disease in (a) Rugby and Kenilworth and (b) England.

Melanie Johnson: The table shows the number of finished admission episodes relating to peripheral vascular disease broken down by relevant primary care trusts (PCTs) in Rugby and Kenilworth, and the overall count for England in 2002–03.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 North Warwickshire PCT 248 
			 Rugby PCT 71 
			 England 60,023 
		
	
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health.

Ports

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Port Health Authority officials were employed at UK (a) seaports and (b) airports in each of the last five years.

Melanie Johnson: The requirement for employing Port Health Authority (PHA) officials at seaports and airports rests with local authorities who are responsible for port health work. The number of PHA officials is determined by the local authorities, and their numbers are not held centrally.

Private Nursing Homes

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the last review of (a) registration and (b) inspection procedures for privately-run nursing homes took place.

Stephen Ladyman: The current registration and inspection procedures for care homes were put in place in 2002, when the National Care Standards Commission was established and the regulations and national minimum standards for care homes were introduced. The Commission for Social Care Inspection became operational in April 2004 and operates under the same regulatory framework.

Public Bodies

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how often the (a) independent group on teenage pregnancy, (b) joint committee on vaccination and immunisation, (c) patient information advisory group and (d) expert advisory group on AIDS are scheduled to convene; and on what date each last met.

Melanie Johnson: The independent advisory group on teenage pregnancy is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills. Meetings of the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation are convened three times a year; the last meeting was on 6 February 2004. Meetings of the patient information advisory group are convened four times a year, but have the flexibility to meet more frequently if required; the last meeting was on 28 April 2004. Meetings of the expert advisory group on AIDS are convened three times a year; the last meeting was on 8 March 2004.

Radiographers

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS training places for (a) diagnostic and (b) therapeutic radiographers there were in each year since 1997.

John Hutton: The information requested is shown in the table. Between 1996–97 and 2002–03, the number of training places for radiographers have increased by 634, or 107 per cent.
	
		Radiography training commissions
		
			  1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Radiography 593 582 646 685 761 948 1,227 
			 Of which:
			 Diagnostic 452 447 507 541 597 730 942 
			 Therapeutic 141 135 139 144 164 218 285 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health quarterly monitoring returns.

Rheumatological/Musculoskeletal Conditions

Andy King: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners hold a specialist interest in (a) rheumatological conditions, (b) musculoskeletal conditions and (c) orthopaedics; and what steps are being taken to increase these numbers.

John Hutton: There are now some 1,300 general practitioners with a special interest (GPwSIs). However, information on the number of general practitioners with a special interest in particular specialties is not collected centrally.
	In line with "Shifting the Balance of Power", the expansion of the range of services provided in primary care, though the development of new staff roles, such as GPwSIs, should be locally driven. Primary care trusts are therefore responsible for developing GPwSIs' services in accordance with their local health economy need to improve access for patients.

Sexual Health

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many cases of sexually transmitted infections were reported in people aged (a) 11, (b) 12, (c) 13, (d) 14, (e) 15, (f) 16, (g) 17, (h) 18 and (i) 19 years in each year since 2000, broken down by (i) disease and (ii) sex;
	(2)  how many cases of sexually transmitted infections in people aged (a) 11, (b) 12, (c) 13, (d) 14, (e) 15, (f) 16, (g) 17, (h) 18 and (i) 19 years there were in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority in each year since 2000, broken down by (i) disease and (ii) sex;
	(3)  what the prevalence rate of reported cases of sexually transmitted infections was in people aged (a) 11, (b) 12, (c) 13, (d) 14, (e) 15, (f) 16, (g) 17, (h) 18 and (i) 19 years was in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority in each year since 2000, broken down by (i) disease and (ii) sex;
	(4)  what the prevalence rate of reported cases of sexually transmitted infections in people aged (a) 11, (b) 12, (c) 13, (d) 14, (e) 15, (f) 16, (g) 17, (h) 18 and (i) 19 years was in each year since 2000, broken down by (i) disease and (ii) sex.

Melanie Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friends, the Members for Workington (Tony Cunningham) and for Heywood and Middleton (Jim Dobbin) on 25 May 2004, Official Report, columns 1610–11W.

Sexual Health

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many cases of sexually transmitted infections were reported in people aged (a) 11, (b) 12, (c) 13, (d) 14, (e) 15, (f) 16, (g) 17, (h) 18 and (i) 19 years in each year since 2000, broken down by (i) disease and (ii) sex;
	(2)  what the prevalence rate of reported cases of sexually transmitted infections in people aged (a) 11, (b) 12, (c) 13, (d) 14, (e) 15, (f) 16, (g) 17, (h) 18 and (i) 19 years was in each year since 2000, broken down by (i) disease and (ii) sex;
	(3)  how many cases of sexually transmitted infections in people aged (a) 11, (b) 12, (c) 13, (d) 14, (e) 15, (f) 16, (g) 17, (h) 18 and (i) 19 years were reported in Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority in each year since 2000, broken down by (i) disease and (ii) sex;
	(4)  what the prevalence rate of reported cases of sexually transmitted infections in people aged (a) 11, (b) 12, (c) 13, (d) 14, (e) 15, (f) 16, (g) 17, (h) 18 and (i) 19 years was in Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority in each year since 2000, broken down by (i) disease and (ii) sex.

Melanie Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friends, the Members for Workington (Tony Cunningham) and for Heywood and Middleton (Jim Dobbin) on 25 May 2004, Official Report, columns 1610–11W.

Sexual Health

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many attendances at family clinics by people aged (a) 11, (b) 12, (c) 13, (d) 14, (e) 15, (f) 16, (g) 17, (h) 18 and (i) 19 years there were in Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority in each year since 2000, broken down by sex;
	(2)  how many women aged (a) 11, (b) 12, (c) 13, (d) 14, (e) 15, (f) 16, (g) 17, (h) 18 and (i) 19 years were fitted with a contraceptive implant in the Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority in each year since 2000.

Melanie Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friends, the Members for Workington (Tony Cunningham) and for Heywood and Middleton (Jim Dobbin) on 7 June 2004, Official Report, columns 34–36W.

Trastuzumab

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what percentage of breast cancer patients diagnosed in the past 12 months received treatment with Trastuzumab;
	(2)  what percentage of patients diagnosed with breast cancer were tested for HER2 in the last year for which figures are available.

Melanie Johnson: The Department does not collect information on the percentage of breast cancer patients who receive treatment with Herceptin or who are tested for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2.
	Professor Mike Richards, National Cancer Director, has been asked to investigate the variation in uptake of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence approved chemotherapy drugs, including Herceptin. His report is due to be published shortly.

Trust Boards

John Lyons: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what analysis his Department has made of the composition of trust boards in England, with particular reference to the (a) age, (b) nationality and (c) gender of members.

John Hutton: Analyses of the age, ethnicity and gender of national health service board members are carried out by the NHS appointments commission, and data relating to 1 April 2004 will be published shortly in their annual report for 2003–04. In the meantime, I have asked the chair of the commission, Sir William Wells, to write to my hon. Friend with the latest data available.

United Healthcare Group

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of the scoping report on implementation of the Evercare model of care, completed in February 2003 by United Healthcare Group.

John Hutton: UnitedHealth Group submitted a scoping report to each individual primary care trust (PCT), and these remain the property of the PCTs.

vCJD

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the latest scientific evidence on infection rates for vCJD, with particular reference to links with BSE.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 27 May 2004
	The Government seek scientific advice on matters relating to spongiform encephalopathies from the spongiform encephalopathy advisory committee (SEAC). SEAC is provided with all published research on variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) as it is available. The committee's consideration of scientific research is recorded in the minutes of SEAC meetings which are available at the website: www.seac.gov.uk

Waiting Lists

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients are awaiting (a) admission and (b) out-patient assessment in each national health service trust in Greater London.

John Hutton: Information on the number of patients waiting for elective in-patient admission at national health service trusts and primary care trusts within the five London strategic health authorities is shown in the table. Information on the total number of patients waiting for outpatient appointments is not collected centrally.
	
		Patients waiting for elective in-patient admission: NHS trusts and PCTs within London SHAs: Position at 31 March 2004
		
			 NHS trust/PCT Total number of patients waiting for admission 
		
		
			 Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust 10,697 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 7,861 
			 Barts and the London NHS Trust 8,468 
			 Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust 4,881 
			 Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust 2,913 
			 Ealing Hospital NHS Trust 2,145 
			 Epsom and St. Helier NHS Trust 4,565 
			 Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust 1,630 
			 Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital NHS Trust 7,846 
			 Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust 5,548 
			 Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust 1,972 
			 Homerton Hospital NHS Trust 902 
			 King's College Hospital NHS Trust 4,871 
			 Kingston Hospital NHS Trust 5,609 
			 Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust 3,577 
			 Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust 5,091 
			 Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Trust 3,258 
			 Newham Healthcare NHS Trust 1,510 
			 Newham PCT 1 
			 North Middlesex Hospital NHS Trust 2,262 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 6,495 
			 Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust 3,573 
			 Queen Mary's Sidcup NHS Trust 2,977 
			 Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust 2,233 
			 Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 6,639 
			 Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Trust 229 
			 Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust (London)2,889 
			 St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust 5,418 
			 St. Mary's NHS Trust 3,911 
			 SW London and St. Georges NHS Trust 41 
			 University College London Hospitals NHS Trust 4,833 
			 West London Mental Health NHS Trust 14 
			 West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 1,639 
			 Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust 5,165 
			 Whittington Hospital NHS Trust 1,598 
		
	
	Source:
	DH form KH07

Waiting Times

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of patients were assessed by a specialist within two weeks of emergency referral in the last year for which figures are available.

Melanie Johnson: A two week out-patient waiting time standard was introduced for all urgent referrals of suspected cancer during 2000. Performance against this standard is collected quarterly with the table showing performance for the last four available quarters. Further data on cancer waiting times targets is available at www.performance.doh.gov.uk/cancerwaits/
	
		
			  Percentage of patients 
		
		
			 2002–03  
			 Qtr 4 96.3 
			 2003–04  
			 Qtr 1 96.9 
			 Qtr 2 97.7 
			 Qtr 3 98

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Animal Rights Extremism

Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action she has taken to combat the threat of animal rights extremism.

Patricia Hewitt: Government have taken considerable action to combat animal rights extremists, both through legislation and by support for the police to deal with their criminal activities. The Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 gave the police a new power to direct protestors away from homes when such protests are intimidatory or harassing. It amended the Protection from Harassment Act and the Malicious Communications Act to cover co-ordinated campaigns of harassment and sending harassing emails and made provision for a secure register of company directors' home addresses where those directors are at risk of intimidation and harassment.
	Recently, we have introduced further legislation in the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 that strengthened police powers to deal with smaller, intimidatory protests and office occupations by extremists. Government are also funding a new police unit to provide tactical guidance on policing extremists.
	But intimidation and harassment continues to be a very serious problem that threatens investment and research in the bioscience sector in the UK, so we are looking carefully, and urgently, at what further action is needed to strengthen police powers to deal with the tactics employed by extremist protestors.

UK Directors

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to ensure that the talent pool of UK directors is sufficiently diverse.

Jacqui Smith: Following the publication of the Higgs and Tyson reports, and the "Brighter Boards" booklet last year, my Department organised a series of roundtable meetings with leading companies in order to raise awareness about the case for greater diversity on boards and to gather examples of good practice.
	We have also commissioned research to assess the current representation of directors from diverse backgrounds on FTSE 100 boards, and supported the creation of registers for board positions, co-ordinated by the appropriate professional and affiliated bodies.
	We are currently consulting the Financial Reporting Council and a range of business and other organisations on how best to build on these initiatives and will be making an announcement later in the year.

Low Pay

James Purnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on her policy on low-paid workers.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government have done a great deal through the minimum wage and tax credits to help the low paid. From October 2004, the minimum wage, in conjunction with tax credit and other benefits will provide a guaranteed minimum income of at least £252 a week for families with one child and one adult earner in full-time work, working 35 hours per week.

Call Centres

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment her Department has made of future employment prospects in the call centre industry in (a) the North West and (b) the UK.

Patricia Hewitt: We have not assessed future employment prospects in individual regions. The recently published DTI study on the UK Call Centre Industry found that employment in the industry is growing and predicts that it will directly employ over 1 million people by 2007 across the UK.

A50-A514 Link Road

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations have been made to the East Midlands Regional Development Agency concerning the funding for completing the road linking the A50 at the A514 junction at Chellaston with Wilmore Road in Derby.

Jacqui Smith: No representations have been made. However, the East Midlands Development Agency (emda) has been working with Rolls Royce, other landowners and developers who have an interest in the 88ha Chellaston park site, with the intention of establishing a development consortium. A key part of the development would be the creation of a link road between the A50 and the A514. The viability of the site is impacted upon by the cost of developing this infrastructure. In March 2004 emda's Board approved £70,000 to fund a feasibility study into the viability of the project, which would address the issues around the road infrastructure. The report is due to be completed by the end of the year.

Business (Blackpool and Fleetwood)

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new businesses have started up in Blackpool, North and Fleetwood since 1997.

Nigel Griffiths: Barclays Bank's latest survey of business creation includes non-VAT registered firms and shows that there were 115,000 business start-ups in England and Wales in the last quarter of 2003, including 500 business start-ups in Blackpool Unitary Authority (which includes part of the Blackpool, North and Fleetwood constituency). Data are not available for the Wyre local authority that includes the rest of Blackpool, North and Fleetwood Constituency. In the last quarter of 2003 there were 2,600 business start-ups in the County of Lancashire (which includes the Wyre local authority) excluding Blackpool Unitary Authority.
	The latest yearly figures show 465,000 business start-ups in England and Wales in 2003. This represents a 19 per cent. increase on the year before. In 2003 there were 1,700 business start-ups in Blackpool Unitary Authority (which includes part of the Blackpool, North and Fleetwood constituency). Data are not available for the Wyre local authority that includes the rest of Blackpool, North and Fleetwood Constituency. In 2003 there were 10,200 business start-ups in the County of Lancashire (which includes the Wyre local authority) excluding Blackpool Unitary Authority.
	DTI figures based solely on VAT registrations for Blackpool Unitary authority and Wyre local authority (for which Blackpool, North and Fleetwood is a constituency) are shown in the following table for the period 1997 to 2002. Data for 2003 will be available in autumn 2004.
	
		VAT registrations: 1997 to 2002
		
			  Blackpool Wyre 
		
		
			 1997 340 260 
			 1998 325 300 
			 1999 310 240 
			 2000 315 240 
			 2001 300 245 
			 2002 265 265 
		
	
	Source:
	Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994–2002, Small Business Service www.sbs.gov.uk/statistics/vatstats.php
	VAT registrations do not capture all start-up activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if they fall below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Similarly, businesses that de-register will not necessarily have closed. Only 1.8 million out of 3.8 million enterprises were registered for VAT at the start of 2002.

Centres of Vocational Excellence

Howard Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether regional development agencies have contributed (a) funds and (b) resources to centres of vocational excellence.

Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply.
	The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is responsible for funding and resourcing the development of CoVEs. However, Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) view CoVEs as strategic partners and may choose to provide complementary funding and resources to maximise their impact. This enables RDA funding to be targeted where further investment will enable the CoVE to meet anticipated skills needs.
	A number of RDAs have already contributed to CoVE development in their region including the South East Development Agency, Yorkshire Forward, the South West Regional Development Agency, Advantage West Midlands and the North West Development Agency.

Coal Health Claims

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the (a) highest, (b) lowest and (c) average payment made in respect of (i) chronic bronchitis and emphysema and (ii) vibration white finger is; and what the equivalent figures are for Nottinghamshire.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 7 June 2004
	To date the figures are:
	
		£
		
			  COPD  VWF 
			  UK Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire UK Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire 
		
		
			 Highest settlement 364,537 364,537 113,111 40,127 
			 Average settlement 7,674 5,262 8,288 8,180 
		
	
	Notes:
	Settlements can be low or even reduced to nothing if some or all of the factors outlined below have a maximum impact.
	1. Compensation offered is dependent on the percentage of disability due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the number of years spent underground after 1954, the date of liability. Discounting is then applied, taking into account any smoking history and the number of years worked before 1954. This is consistent with the High Court judgment. In chronic bronchitis (CB) only claims, the maximum amount payable is £5,604 (rising with the RPI), subject to the relevant discounting mentioned previously.
	2. Compensation offered in respect of VWF is dependent on the "staging" (the level of disability). Claims are then discounted taking into account any of the five co-morbid conditions as listed in the Claims Handling Agreement. Claims will also be apportioned according to whether there is any co-defendant involvement.
	3. Figures for Nottinghamshire are not available separately.

Coal Health Claims

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when minimum payment for compensation claims under the Coalminers' Compensation Scheme was last discussed with their representatives.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 8 June 2004
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 27 May 2004, Official Report, column 1744.

Coal Health Claims

Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many claimants have had final settlement through each of the top 10 claims handlers involved in the compensation claims for (a) chronic bronchitis and emphysema and (b) vibration white finger of former coalminers.

Nigel Griffiths: To date the figures are:
	
		
			 Top 10 solicitors Number of full and final settlements 
		
		
			 VWF  
			 Hugh James 17,622 
			 Thompsons 17,141 
			 Raleys 12,318 
			 Browell Smith 7,330 
			 Beresfords 6,760 
			 Mark Gilbert Morse 6,495 
			 UDM 5,439 
			 Watson Burton 4,383 
			 Barber and Co. 656 
			 Avalon 388 
			   
			 COPD  
			 Browell Smith 11,095 
			 UDM 7,234 
			 Thompsons 7,046 
			 Raleys 6,561 
			 Hugh James 6,278 
			 Moss 4,433 
			 Beresfords 4,126 
			 AMS Law 2,919 
			 Watson Burton 2,584 
			 Graysons 1,899 
		
	
	In terms of numbers of COPD claims received, the rank order of the 'top 10' is—Beresfords, Thompsons, Hugh James, Raleys, Browell Smith, Mark Gilbert Morse, Avalon, UDM, Watson Burton, Barber and Co.
	In terms of numbers of VWF claims received, the rank order of the 'top 10' is—Thompsons, Browell Smith, Beresfords, UDM, Raleys, Hugh James, Graysons, Moss, Watson Burton, AMS Law.

Coal Health Claims

Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been paid to claimants through each of the top 10 claims handlers involved in the compensation claims for (a) chronic bronchitis and emphysema and (b) vibration white finger of former coalminers.

Nigel Griffiths: To date the figures are:
	
		
			 Top 10 solicitors Total damages paid (£ million) 
		
		
			 COPD  
			 Thompson 216.8 
			 Hugh James 198.5 
			 Raleys 129 
			 Browell Smith 77.4 
			 Mark Gilbert Morse 43.7 
			 UDM 26.5 
			 Watson Burton 26 
			 Beresfords 13.4 
			 Avalon 1.2 
			 Barber and Co. 0.45 
			   
			 VWF  
			 Thompsons 128 
			 Browell Smith 89.8 
			 UDM 72 
			 Raleys 72 
			 Hugh James 58.8 
			 Graysons 49.6 
			 Watson Burton 42.5 
			 Beresfords 39.5 
			 Moss 32.4 
			 AMS Law 22.8 
		
	
	In terms of numbers of COPD claims receive, the rank order of the "top 10" is —Berefords, Thompson, Hugh James, Raleys, Browell Smith, Mark Gilbert Morse, Avalon, UDM, Watson Burton, Barber and Co.
	In terms of number of VWF claims received, the rank order of the 'top 10' is—Thompons, Browell Smith, Beresfords, UDM, Raleys, Hugh James, Graysons, Moss, Watson Burton, AMS Law.

Coal Health Claims

Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many claimants have had interim payments to date through each of the top 10 claims handlers involved in the compensation claims for (a) chronic bronchitis and emphysema and (b) vibration white finger of former coalminers.

Nigel Griffiths: To date the figures are:
	
		
			 Top 10 solicitors Number of claimants who have received an interim payment 
		
		
			 COPD  
			 Thompsons 10,895 
			 Hugh James 7,708 
			 Raleys 5,129 
			 Browell Smith 4,048 
			 Mark Gilbert Morse 2,246 
			 UDM 1,323 
			 Watson Burton 1,157 
			 Beresfords 384 
			 Avalon 69 
			 Barber and Co. 8 
			   
			 VWF  
			 Thompsons 11,723 
			 Raleys 5,752 
			 Browell Smith 5,628 
			 Graysons 5,413 
			 UDM 4,811 
			 Beresfords 4,224 
			 Hugh James 3,899 
			 Watson Burton 3,577 
			 Moss 2,646 
			 AMS Law 1,416 
		
	
	In terms of numbers of COPD claims received, the rank order of the "top 10" is —Beresfords, Thompsons, Hugh James, Raleys, Browell Smith, Mark Gilbert Morse, Avalon, UDM, Watson Burton, Barber and Co.

Coal Health Claims

Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been paid to date to each of the top 10 claims handlers involved in the compensation claims for (a) chronic bronchitis and emphysema and (b) vibration white finger of former coalminers.

Nigel Griffiths: To date the figures are:
	
		
			 Top 10 solicitors Solicitors costs paid (£ million) 
		
		
			 COPD  
			 Thompsons 39.7 
			 Hugh James 39.1 
			 Raleys 28.9 
			 Browell Smith 15.9 
			 Mark Gilbert Morse 14.3 
			 Beresfords 9.7 
			 UDM 9.2 
			 Watson Burton 9.1 
			 Avalon 0.7 
			 Barber and Co. 0.1 
			   
			 VWF  
			 Thompsons 9.1 
			 Browell Smith 8.7 
			 Raleys 6.6 
			 Hugh James 5.8 
			 UDM 5.5 
			 Graysons 3.8 
			 Beresfords 3.2 
			 Watson Burton 3.1 
			 Moss 2.9 
			 AMS Law 1.9 
		
	
	In terms of numbers of COPD claims received, the rank order of the "top 10" is —Beresfords, Thompsons, Hugh James, Raleys, Browell Smith, Mark Gilbert Morse, Avalon, UDM, Watson Burton, Barber & Co.
	In terms of numbers of VWF claims received, the rank order of the "top 10" is—Thompsons, Browell Smith, Beresfords, UDM, Raleys, Hugh James, Graysons, Moss, Watson Burton, AMS Law.

Combustion Plant Directive

Kevin Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  if she will list the meetings that she has held with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to discuss the large Combustion Plant Directive;
	(2)  if she will list the meetings which have taken place between her (a) Ministers and (b) officials and (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to discuss the large Combustion Plant Directive;.

Stephen Timms: There have been a number of discussions about this Directive between Ministers and officials in the DTI and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
	Further information about such meetings is being withheld under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information on the grounds that it would harm the frankness and candour of internal deliberation and of confidential communications between departments.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on progress made in investigating issues raised by the UN Panel of Experts on the illegal exploitation of the natural resources and other forms of wealth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Mike O'Brien: Following the publication of the UN Expert Panel's final report in October 2004, we asked the UN for the documentary evidence supporting the listing of British companies in Annexe III of the report. This is a list of all entities the Panel considers to be in breach of the OECD guidelines. Despite repeated requests, we have only recently received documentary material that the Panel obtained relating to the British companies considered by the Panel. This material is wide ranging in scope and quality. We are currently assessing this material to identify outstanding issues with relation to breaches of the OECD Guidelines. We are in the process of approaching the companies concerned to respond to specific issues raised in the documentation. The UN National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines has recently made a statement relating to allegations made against De Beers that is available on the website and that I will place in the Libraries of the House.

Election Literature (Postal Services)

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the refusal by some postal workers to deliver election literature from (a) the British National Party and (b) other political parties.

Stephen Timms: Royal Mail has legal obligations, under the Representation of People Act 2000, to deliver election material from any properly nominated candidate, so long as the material is legal. Royal Mail recognises that staff may have strong feelings about the delivery of some election mailings. The company has always tried to have a flexible approach, so if an individual feels that they are unable to deliver the material because of personal circumstances or beliefs, or where an individual believes that delivery of a particular item may incur personal risk, then alternative arrangements will be made.

EU Trade

Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of the negative balance in trade in goods was with the EU (a) in the most recent annual period for which figures are available, (b) in 1994, (c) in 1984 and (d) in 1974.

Mike O'Brien: In 2003, the EU 15 countries accounted for 46 per cent. of the UK's total trade deficit in goods with the world. In 1994 the EU 15 countries accounted for 41 per cent., in 1984 55 per cent. and in 1974 42 per cent.
	However, these figures taken in isolation do not fully reflect the importance to the UK economy of our trade with the EU.

Heat Pumps

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action her Department is taking to encourage the development of (a) ground source and (b) air source heat pumps.

Stephen Timms: Defra and the DTI supported the formation of the UK Heat Pump forum which serves to disseminate information and promote the technology for both ground source and air source heat pumps.
	Heat pumps are a technology that is eligible for support from Carbon Trust programmes. I understand that the Carbon Trust has two projects in contract supporting ground source heat pumps. The Enhanced Capital Allowance scheme, which the Carbon Trust manages, supports heat pumps.
	The Clear Skies initiative supports the installation of ground source heat pumps by providing grants of £1,200 to householders and 50 per cent. of installed cost for community groups up to a maximum of £100,000. It does not currently provide grants for air source heat pumps. Budget 2004 also announced the introduction of a reduced rate of VAT on the installation of ground source heat pumps.

Information Technology

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the (a) migration of information technology work overseas and (b) steps her Department is taking to reverse the trend towards migration of IT work overseas.

Patricia Hewitt: The Government are well aware of concerns about the effects of offshoring, including on employment in the IT sector. But we know from consultation with key stakeholders that there is a broad consensus in the UK that trade protectionism is not the right response. Instead, we must do all we can to ensure that those who are affected by decisions to offshore work are found alternative work as quickly as possible. We also need to ensure that the UK remains competitive and an attractive place in which other countries wish to do business and it is important to note that the UK remains the lead country in terms of inward investment into the EU. We are also working closely with the RDAs and the Learning and Skills Councils to ensure that the UK is equipped to meet these challenges.
	In this globalised world, companies require the flexibility to take the required steps to remain internationally competitive. Location is ultimately a business decision for companies, and the Government cannot prohibit moves offshore. However the Government continue to create the macro-economic environment to encourage business location and growth within the UK.
	Finally, offshoring is not a one-way process. Successful Indian IT companies such as Tata, Wipro and Infosys, have invested in the UK and have created and expanded employment here.

Contractual Leave

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 12 May 2004, Official Report, column 431W, on leave, if she will place in the Library the surveys on the provision of contractual leave and pay referred to.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The following surveys referred to in my answer are available in the Libraries of the House:
	The Second Work-Life Balance Study: Results from the Employer Survey (DTI Employment Relations Research Series No.22);
	The Second Work-Life Balance Study: Results from the Employees' Survey (DTI Employment Relations Research Series No.27); and
	Maternity and Paternity Rights in Britain 2002: Survey of Parents (DWP In-house Report 131).

Manufacturing Industry

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what action she is taking to help small and medium-sized UK manufacturing companies.

Nigel Griffiths: The DTI and Government have taken a number of measures including:
	Establishing the Manufacturing Advisory Service
	Providing £600 million support for business R&D through R&D tax credit
	Increasing the number of Modern Apprenticeship trainees from 75,000 in 1997 to 255,00 in 2004
	Cutting corporation tax
	Manufacturing SMEs also benefit from DTIs business support products for Knowledge Transfer, R&D, Best Practice

Maternity Leave

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many and what percentage of women in Wirral, South have taken 26 weeks' maternity leave since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Take-up of maternity leave is not recorded centrally. It is possible to make an estimate of the numbers of women taking maternity leave based on employer returns to Inland Revenue of the Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) they recover (since 2003 this has covered the first 26 weeks of leave). Figures for the take-up of SMP are not available on a regional basis, but nationally around 300,000 women receive SMP each year.
	In addition, there will be some women who will qualify for maternity leave but not SMP (because they do not meet the earnings or length of employment criteria for SMP) and similarly some who qualify for SMP but not leave (because they are employed earners for the purposes of SMP but not employees in order to qualify for leave).

Maternity Leave

Lorna Fitzsimons: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many and what percentage of women in the parliamentary constituency of Rochdale have taken 26 weeks' maternity leave since 1997; and what percentage of those were of Asian origin.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Take-up of maternity leave is not recorded centrally. It is possible to make an estimate of the numbers of women taking maternity leave based on employer returns to Inland Revenue of the Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) they recover (since 2003 this has covered the first 26 weeks of leave). Figures for the take-up of SMP are not available on a regional basis, but nationally around 300,000 women receive SMP each year. Information is not available on the ethnic origin of women receiving SMP.
	In addition, there will be some women who will qualify for maternity leave but not SMP (because they do not meet the earnings or length of employment criteria for SMP) and similarly some who qualify for SMP but not leave (because they are employed earners for the purposes of SMP but not employees in order to qualify for
	leave).

Minor Titles Consortium

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations she has received from the Minor Titles Consortium on the Royal Mail and distribution of their newspapers in Scotland.

Stephen Timms: I have not received any recent representations from the Minor Titles Consortium about the Royal Mail's distribution of newspapers.

Night Shift Workers

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the benefits to residents of Wirral, South of new rights for night shift workers.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Working Time Regulations came into force on 1 October 1998. The regulations limit working time to 48 hours per week averaged over a 17-week reference period. For night workers the limit is eight hours per day on average, including overtime where it is part of a night worker's normal hours of work. There is no opt-out from the night working time limit.
	Night workers are entitled to 11 hours rest between working days, one day's rest per week, and a 20-minute in work rest break if the working period is longer than six hours.
	All night workers should be offered a free health assessment before they start working night and thereafter at regular intervals for as long as they are working nights. The health assessments should take account of the nature of the work and the restrictions on a worker's working time under the regulations. Workers who suffer from problems as a result of working at night, should as far as practicable be offered alternative day work.
	All workers are entitled to four weeks paid annual leave. There is no specific data available for night shift workers in Wirral, South.

Night Shift Workers

Joe Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the effect on residents of Bootle of new rights for night-shift workers.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Working Time Regulations came into force on 1 October 1998. The regulations limit working time to 48 hours per week averaged over a 17-week reference period. For night workers the limit is eight hours per day on average, including overtime where it is part of a night worker's normal hours of work. There is no opt-out from the night working time limit.
	Night workers are entitled to 11 hours rest between working days, one day's rest per week, and a 20-minute in work rest break if the working period is longer than six hours.
	All night workers should be offered a free health assessment before they start working night and thereafter at regular intervals for as long as they are working nights. The health assessments should take account of the nature of the work and the restrictions on a worker's working time under the regulations. Workers who suffer from problems as a result of working at night, should as far as practicable be offered alternative day work.
	All workers are entitled to four weeks paid annual leave. There is no specific data available for night shift workers in Bootle.

NIREX

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the future of NIREX.

Stephen Timms: The Secretary of State recently met with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as part of a regular series of bilateral meetings. The ongoing work on the future of NIREX was discussed as part of that wider meeting.

NIREX

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the involvement of NIREX in drafting the Energy Bill.

Stephen Timms: NIREX has not been involved in drafting the Energy Bill.

NIREX

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the intended relationship between the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and NIREX.

Stephen Timms: It will only be possible to set out the relationship between NIREX and the NDA once NIREX and its industry shareholders have been consulted on the future of the company.

Oil and Gas Prices

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action she has taken to investigate reports that speculation in oil and gas is helping to drive up prices.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 7 June 2004
	While speculation may be playing a role, there are a number of other factors supporting current oil prices including unanticipated strong demand, tight capacities upstream and downstream, and geopolitical uncertainties.
	The oil price is one driver of UK gas wholesale spot and forward prices, as is the market's perception of gas demand and supply. In order to inform the gas market about UK gas market fundamentals, on 24 May 04, the DTI published the Fourth JESS Report which, among other things, monitors the availability of gas supplies, the adequacy of the UK's gas infrastructure, and gas forward prices.

Paid Leave

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many residents of Wirral, South qualify for paid leave entitlements.

Gerry Sutcliffe: All workers resident in Wirral, South qualify for paid annual leave entitlements of at least four weeks as set out in the Working Time Regulations. While all women are entitled to 26 weeks ordinary maternity leave, only those who meet the eligibility criteria will be able to claim statutory maternity pay for that period.
	All employees in Wirral, South who are eligible will be entitled to take statutory paternity leave with pay and statutory adoption leave with pay.

Paid Leave

Joe Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many residents of Bootle qualify for paid leave entitlements.

Gerry Sutcliffe: All workers resident in Bootle qualify for paid annual leave entitlements; at least four weeks as set out in the Working Time Regulations. While all women are entitled to 26 weeks ordinary maternity leave, only those who meet the eligibility criteria will be able to claim statutory maternity pay for that period.
	All employees in Bootle who are eligible will be entitled to take statutory paternity leave with pay and statutory adoption leave with pay.

Post Boxes

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the factors that determine the size of a post box available at a particular location.

Stephen Timms: The size and location of post boxes are the operational concern of Royal Mail Gorup and I have therefore asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Renewable Energy

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what projections her Department has made of (a) the amount and (b) the percentage of electricity the UK will be obtaining from renewable sources in each year to 2010.

Stephen Timms: A working paper showing revised energy projections has recently been published on the DTI website. The projections suggest that electricity generation from renewables could reach 15TWh in 2005 and 39TWh in 2010. Taking account of all sources of generation, some of which are not shown separately in the working paper, these represent around 3.5 per cent. and 10 per cent. of overall supply respectively.
	The working paper is available on the website at: http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/sepn/euets.shtml_uep
	The Department does not publish projections of year-by-year generation patterns.

Steel

Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the effect of steel (a) price increases and (b) supply problems on manufacturing industry; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: I am very much aware of concerns about rising steel prices and appreciate that this is an unwelcome pressure on steel consumers at a time when manufacturing is showing signs of recovery. This is a global issue caused primarily by soaring demand in China, which is having a knock on effect on the cost of raw materials such as iron ore, coke and scrap. We acknowledge that the problem is especially difficult for steel users with limited scope to pass on price rises to customers. However, European steel prices are still low compared with USA and South East Asia. There have also been concerns about the availability of steel but I understand that there is no shortage of supply from UK producers although there are reports of tightness of those consumers that rely on imported sources of steel.
	The Chinese Government has recently introduced measures to dampen economic growth as a result of which Chinese steel imports have fallen pushing down prices in the Far East. It is hoped that this will bring some stability to world markets although industry analysts expect overall world demand to remain firm for the rest of this year.

VAT-registered Enterprises

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many VAT-registered enterprises there were in each (a) region and (b) London borough in each of the last 10 years.

Nigel Griffiths: Barclays Bank's latest survey of business creation includes non-VAT registered firms and shows that there were 115,000 business start-ups in England and Wales in the last quarter of 2003. Barclays data are not available for Scotland or Northern Ireland. The latest yearly figures show 465,000 business start-ups in England and Wales in 2003. This represents a 19 per cent. increase on the year before.
	The following tables records Barclays business creation data for each region and London boroughs in 2003. Barclays latest survey of business creation publication only contains 2003 data for regions and London boroughs.
	
		2003
		
			 Regions Number 
		
		
			 East 47,500 
			 East Midlands 34,700 
			 London 84,300 
			 North East 15,100 
			 North West 57,400 
			 South East 76,300 
			 South West 52,400 
			 West Midlands 38,000 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 37,700 
		
	
	
		2003
		
			 London boroughs Number 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 800 
			 Barnet 4,700 
			 Bexley 1,200 
			 Brent 4,000 
			 Bromley 2,300 
			 Camden 4,500 
			 Croydon 3,800 
			 Ealing 4,500 
			 Enfield 2,200 
			 Greenwich 1,300 
			 Hackney 2,400 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 3,400 
			 Haringey 2,500 
			 Harrow 2,200 
			 Havering 1,700 
			 Hillingdon 1,700 
			 Hounslow 2,100 
			 Islington 3,000 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 2,500 
			 Kingston upon Thames 1,600 
			 Lambeth 3,000 
			 Lewisham 1,500 
			 Merton 2,000 
			 Newham 1,900 
			 Redbridge 2,600 
			 Richmond upon Thames 2,100 
			 Southwark 1,900 
			 Sutton 1,300 
			 Tower Hamlets 2,600 
			 Waltham Forest 1,700 
			 Wandsworth 4,000 
			 Westminster(30) 6,900 
		
	
	(30) Includes figures for the City of London.
	Source:
	For tables—Barclays Small Business Survey:
	http://www.business.barclays.co.uk/
	The stock of businesses registered for VAT in each (a) region and (b) London borough in each year between 1994 and 2003, are as follows:
	
		VAT registrations in each year
		
			 Government office region 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 
		
		
			 England 1,378,380 1,374,275 1,377,300 1,393,070 1,426,265 
			 Scotland 120,805 120,475 120,225 120,670 122,260 
			 Wales 80,180 78,480 77,545 77,170 77,390 
			 Northern Ireland 53,410 53,725 54,090 54,635 55,420 
			 North East 43,860 43,500 42,900 42,855 43,080 
			 North West 163,500 161,795 160,445 161,200 163,430 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 123,270 122,345 121,165 121,600 122,635 
			 East Midlands 112,585 112,380 112,400 112,920 114,830 
			 West Midlands 138,320 137,755 137,545 138,295 140,430 
			 East 161,660 160,980 161,810 163,930 168,355 
			 South East 244,390 243,755 245,470 249,350 257,135 
			 South West 156,680 155,350 154,130 155,190 158,095 
		
	
	
		VAT registrations in each year
		
			 Government office region 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 England 1,458,720 1,479,900 1,498,425 1,505,575 1,505,495 
			 Scotland 123,355 123,565 123,800 123,980 124,200 
			 Wales 77,345 76,905 76,955 76,990 76,310 
			 Northern Ireland 55,980 55,990 55,735 55,810 56,100 
			 North East 43,340 43,600 44,040 43,745 43,825 
			 North West 165,880 167,420 168,970 169,860 169,705 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 123,770 124,320 124,955 124,605 124,405 
			 East Midlands 116,585 117,605 118,900 119,500 120,455 
			 West Midlands 142,630 143,980 145,615 146,225 146,310 
			 East 172,050 174,450 177,020 177,445 177,915 
			 South East 265,115 270,325 274,475 277,540 278,670 
			 South West 160,725 162,350 163,410 163,795 163,465 
		
	
	
		VAT registrations in each year
		
			 London borough 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 
		
		
			 Camden 15,555 15,875 16,460 17,175 17,770 
			 Hackney 5,320 5,300 5,385 5,500 5,765 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 5,900 5,955 6,080 6,260 6,615 
			 Haringey 5,270 5,265 5,265 5,430 5,695 
			 Islington 7,940 8,175 8,395 8,765 9,505 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 7,905 8,070 8,135 8,340 8,660 
			 Lambeth 5,235 5,160 5,245 5,415 5,670 
			 Lewisham 3,790 3,680 3,660 3,685 3,850 
			 Newham 3,230 3,165 3,135 3,100 3,190 
			 Southwark 5,905 5,930 5,975 6,125 6,465 
			 Tower Hamlets 5,560 5,580 5,645 5,715 6,000 
			 Wandsworth 7,270 7,320 7,405 7,700 8,105 
			 Westminster 28,630 29,830 31,245 32,445 33,945 
			 Barking and Dagenham 2,145 2,070 2,175 2,190 2,230 
			 Barnet 12,575 12,870 13,485 14,000 14,730 
			 Bexley 4,505 4,435 4,375 4,450 4,615 
			 Brent 7,270 7,290 7,305 7,435 7,800 
			 Bromley 8,120 8,040 8,030 8,165 8,395 
			 Croydon 8,000 7,835 7,850 7,835 8,010 
			 Ealing 7,935 7,900 7,885 8,095 8,455 
			 Enfield 5,775 5,720 5,725 5,835 6,040 
			 Greenwich 3,425 3,275 3,275 3,320 3,510 
			 Harrow 6,655 6,740 6,780 6,860 7,075 
			 Havering 5,350 5,230 5,180 5,225 5,355 
			 Hillingdon 6,725 6,700 6,725 6,795 6,970 
			 Hounslow 5,850 5,760 5,830 5,885 6,085 
			 Kingston upon Thames 4,275 4,320 4,380 4,475 4,720 
			 Merton 4,725 4,670 4,775 4,830 5,095 
			 Redbridge 5,175 5,145 5,120 5,205 5,350 
			 Richmond upon Thames 6,905 6,945 7,150 7,410 7,725 
			 Sutton 4,745 4,730 4,710 4,800 4,930 
			 Waltham Forest 4,255 4,225 4,195 4,215 4,300 
		
	
	
		VAT registrations in each year
		
			 London boroughs 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Camden 17,960 18,375 18,645 18,630 18,420 
			 Hackney 6,230 6,545 6,895 7,095 7,165 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 7,225 7,665 8,110 8,435 8,490 
			 Haringey 5,935 6,165 6,340 6,420 6,425 
			 Islington 10,115 10,245 10,280 10,280 10,125 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 9,005 9,350 9,640 9,800 9,920 
			 Lambeth 5,960 6,230 6,455 6,675 6,910 
			 Lewisham 4,085 4,230 4,365 4,515 4,535 
			 Newham 3,355 3,505 3,665 3,790 3,865 
			 Southwark 6,870 7,195 7,565 7,910 8,020 
			 Tower Hamlets 6,410 6,825 7,095 7,270 7,450 
			 Wandsworth 8,585 9,020 9,250 9,485 9,610 
			 Westminster 35,445 37,000 37,825 38,480 38,370 
			 Barking and Dagenham 2,155 2,255 2,400 2,490 2,570 
			 Barnet 14,865 14,635 14,425 13,630 12,720 
			 Bexley 4,705 4,830 4,910 4,995 5,035 
			 Brent 8,125 8,330 8,445 8,510 8,480 
			 Bromley 8,740 8,805 8,920 9,050 9,015 
			 Croydon 8,295 8,425 8,540 8,605 8,560 
			 Ealing 8,885 9,240 9,510 9,665 9,745 
			 Enfield 6,330 6,495 6,665 6,710 6,715 
			 Greenwich 3,685 3,785 3,890 3,995 4,045 
			 Harrow 7,325 7,355 7,350 7,330 7,280 
			 Havering 5,515 5,590 5,630 5,695 5,655 
			 Hillingdon 7,215 7,340 7,420 7,410 7,420 
			 Hounslow 6,345 6,575 6,705 6,930 6,920 
			 Kingston upon Thames 4,995 5,205 5,280 5,270 5,195 
			 Merton 5,370 5,500 5,665 5,670 5,590 
			 Redbridge 5,600 5,735 5,860 5,750 5,605 
			 Richmond upon Thames 8,100 8,365 8,560 8,730 8,750 
			 Sutton 5,090 5,175 5,140 5,150 5,115 
			 Waltham Forest 4,515 4,620 4,665 4,655 4,660 
		
	
	Source:
	For tables—Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Stocks, Small Business Service, available from www.sbs.gov.uk/analytical/statistics/vatstats.php
	Data for 2004 will be available in autumn 2004.
	VAT registrations do not capture all business activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if they fall below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Similarly, businesses that de-register will not necessarily have closed. Only 1.8 million out of 3.8 million enterprises were registered for VAT at the start of 2002.

Working Hours

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many residents of Wirral, South have benefited from a reduction in the working week to 48 hours.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Working Time Regulations provide workers with the right to refuse to work more than 48 hours on average, if they do not want to. Numbers for Wirral, South are not available, however it has been estimated that around 300,000 workers resident in the North West stood to benefit from the introduction of the weekly working time limits in 1998.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Attendance Allowance

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Scotland have applied for attendance allowance since February 2002, broken down by (a) disability benefit centre and (b) quarter.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is in the table.
	
		
			  All Edinburgh Glasgow 
		
		
			 May 2002(31) 7,250 3,675 3,575 
			 August 2002 9,665 4,905 4,760 
			 November 2002 9,540 5,070 4,470 
			 February 2003 8,785 4,625 4,160 
			 May 2003 10,550 5,475 5,075 
			 August 2003 10,465 5,275 5,190 
			 November 2003 10,430 5,330 5,100 
			 February 2004 8,905 4,570 4,335 
		
	
	(31) March data are unavailable for this quarter
	Notes:
	Figures taken from a 100 per cent. sample at the end of each quarter.
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre

Child Support Agency

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when those Child Support Agency cases enrolled under the old rules will be converted to the new rules system.

Chris Pond: I refer my right hon. Friend to the Written Answer I gave the hon. Member for Castle Point (Bob Spink) on 18 December 2003, Official Report, column 1092W.

Council Tax Benefit

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are in receipt of council tax benefit in the City of Edinburgh local authority area.

Chris Pond: The number of council tax benefit recipients in the City of Edinburgh at August 2003 is 38,100.
	Notes:
	1. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.
	2. The figure is rounded to the nearest hundred.
	3. Figures for non-responding authorities are estimated.
	4. Council tax benefit data excludes Second Adult Rebate cases.
	Source:
	Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System, Quarterly 100 per cent. caseload stock-count taken in August 2003.

Council Tax Benefit

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost to local authorities of administering council tax benefit; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Pond: The information is in the table.
	
		Cost of administering council tax benefit
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 England 229 
			 Wales 12 
			 Scotland 19 
			 Great Britain 259 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are for reported net current expenditure in 2002–03.
	Amounts are rounded to the nearest £ million. The sum of the individual countries does not equal the Great Britain total due to rounding.
	2. Figures for England are provided by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
	3. Figures for Wales are provided by the Welsh Assembly.
	4. Figures for Scotland are provided by the Scottish Executive.

Council Tax Benefit

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost was of administering council tax benefit payments in (a) Greater London and (b) each London borough in each of the last five years.

Chris Pond: The information is in the table.
	
		Net cost of administering Council Tax benefit in nominal terms -- £ million
		
			  1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Total Greater London 38.4 39.3 45.0 52.4 47.7 
			   
			 Of which:  
			 Inner London  
			 City of London 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Camden 1.1 1.1 1.4 1.4 1.5 
			 Greenwich 0.8 0.8 0.8 2.2 2.5 
			 Hackney 1.9 2.0 1.9 4.0 3.2 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.6 
			 Islington 1.5 1.3 1.2 3.2 3.3 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.5 
			 Lambeth 3.1 3.4 5.0 5.6 2.2 
			 Lewisham 0.9 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.0 
			 Southwark 0.8 1.4 1.2 1.1 1.2 
			 Tower Hamlets 2.4 2.3 2.8 2.9 3.0 
			 Wandsworth 1.0 1.5 1.5 1.7 2.0 
			 Westminster 2.2 2.1 2.0 2.3 2.3 
			   
			 Outer London  
			 Barking and Dagenham 0.8 0.7 1.2 1.3 0.8 
			 Barnet 1.2 1.2 1.5 1.6 1.8 
			 Bexley 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.6 
			 Brent 1.3 1.2 1.9 1.5 1.2 
			 Bromley 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.6 
			 Croydon 0.9 1.0 1.3 1.2 1.3 
			 Ealing 1.7 2.0 2.3 2.7 0.9 
			 Enfield 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.9 
			 Haringey 0.8 1.1 1.2 1.4 1.5 
			 Harrow 0.4 0.7 0.7 0.9 0.9 
			 Havering 0.9 0.9 0.9 1.4 0.9 
			 Hillingdon 0.3 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.5 
			 Hounslow 1.3 1.4 2.2 2.2 2.3 
			 Kingston 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.4 0.7 
			 Merton 0.8 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 
			 Newham 2.7 2.2 2.9 2.5 3.2 
			 Redbridge 0.3 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 
			 Richmond 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.4 
			 Sutton 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.5 
			 Waltham Forest 3.3 1.9 1.8 1.7 1.9 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The figures shown are reported net current expenditure, in nominal terms.
	2. All figures are provided to the nearest £0.1 million. The total greater London figure shown may not be the sum of the individual authorities due to rounding.
	Source:
	Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

Council Tax Benefit

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the value was of council tax benefit payments made in (a) Greater London and (b) each London borough in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what the value was of council tax benefit payments made in (a) Greater London and (b) each London borough in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the total amount of council tax benefit unclaimed in each of those years.

Chris Pond: The information requested about the total amount of unclaimed council tax benefit is not available below national level. Estimates of the total amount of council tax benefit unclaimed at a national level can be found in a series of DWP reports entitled: "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up". The latest publication relates to financial year 2001–02; copies of this and previous reports are available from the Library.
	The value of council tax benefit payments made in each London borough and greater London as a whole, from 1998–99 to 2002–03 is in the table.
	
		Council tax benefit expenditure in nominal terms -- £million
		
			  Outturn 
			 Greater London 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03(32) 
		
		
			 City of London 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 
			 Camden 18.3 18.0 17.4 18.0 18.9 
			 Greenwich 18.0 16.6 15.9 16.2 16.9 
			 Hackney 20.2 17.2 19.3 24.2 26.1 
			 Hammersmith 12.0 11.9 12.1 12.5 12.7 
			 Islington 22.4 20.5 19.7 19.0 18.6 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 5.8 5.9 6.2 6.8 7.6 
			 Lambeth 18.2 16.8 17.3 19.1 20.1 
			 Lewisham 14.8 14.5 14.8 15.7 16.9 
			 Southwark 18.5 18.0 18.8 19.6 20.5 
			 Tower Hamlets 14.6 14.7 15.4 16.4 17.4 
			 Wandsworth 5.3 5.7 5.8 6.4 5.6 
			 Westminster 4.7 4.8 4.8 6.0 6.5 
			 Total Inner London 172.9 164.8 167.6 180.1 187.9 
			   
			 Barking 9.9 10.2 10.5 11.3 12.1 
			 Barnet 12.1 12.1 12.5 13.3 14.0 
			 Bexley 7.1 7.6 7.5 8.0 8.3 
			 Brent 12.4 13.2 14.5 15.0 16.7 
			 Bromley 7.7 8.3 8.8 9.7 10.2 
			 Croydon 13.2 13.5 13.7 13.6 13.9 
			 Baling 12.2 13.0 12.1 14.5 14.6 
			 Enfield 13.3 13.5 14.6 16.0 17.0 
			 Haringey 22.6 22.5 22.3 21.6 21.9 
			 Harrow 7.3 7.5 8.1 9.0 9.6 
			 Havering 8.1 8.6 9.3 9.9 10.7 
			 Hillingdon 9.6 10.2 10.7 11.7 12.6 
			 Hounslow 10.7 10.8 11.0 11.7 12.6 
			 Kingston 3.7 4.2 4.5 5.0 5.5 
			 Merton 7.5 7.5 7.7 8.3 8.6 
			 Newham 17.7 16.8 17.6 18.2 19.1 
			 Redbridge 9.1 9.4 9.9 10.3 10.9 
			 Richmond 5.6 6.0 6.3 6.8 7.5 
			 Sutton 6.0 5.9 5.8 6.3 6.9 
			 Waltham Forest 14.9 14.4 14.2 14.8 15.4 
			 Total Outer London 210.7 215.3 221.7 234.8 248.2 
			 Total Greater London 383.6 380.1 389.3 414.9 436.1 
		
	
	(32) Estimated
	Notes.
	1. All expenditure figures are rounded to the nearest £0.1 million and therefore may not add up to the total greater London expenditure.
	2. Expenditure figures for 1998–99 to 2001–02 are final outturn figures supplied by local authorities in 'final audited' subsidy claims. The figures for 2002–03 are the latest available estimated outturn figures, provided by local authorities in their 'initial final' subsidy claims, and are subject to revision in the final audited' claims.
	3. Figures are total yearly amounts paid to beneficiaries, regardless of the source of funding, and includes payments subsidised by DWP, those funded through local authorities housing revenue accounts, spending financed by the National Asylum Support Service, and benefit spending financed from local authorities' general funds.
	Source:
	1. 1998–99—Final Audited Subsidy claim forms submitted by local authorities.
	2. 2002–03—Initial Final Claim forms submitted by local authorities.

Disability Living Allowance

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has any plans to change the upper age limit for eligibility for the Disability Living Allowance; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: No. It is normal for pensions and benefits schemes to contain different provisions for people at different stages of their lives and disability living allowance is focused on providing extra help to people who are severely disabled early, or relatively early, in life.
	Attendance allowance provides help with the disability-related extra costs of people who experience the onset of disability after age 65. Based on the need for personal care, this help is part of the wide range of support that the Government make available to older people so that they can have a decent and secure income in retirement and share fairly in the rising prosperity of the country.

Employers' Liability Insurance

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many businesses have been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive for operating without employers' liability compulsory insurance in each of the last five years; and what the total level of fines imposed upon these businesses was.

Jane Kennedy: The number of businesses which have been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive for operating without Employers' Liability Compulsory Insurance in each of the last five years is as follows.
	
		Prosecutions (cases heard)
		
			  
		
		
			 1999–2000 4 
			 2000–01 4 
			 2001–02 12 
			 2002–03 9 
			 2003–04 6 
			 Total 35 
		
	
	The total level of fines imposed upon these businesses for each of the last five years was:
	
		Total fines
		
			  
		
		
			 1999–2000 1,150 
			 2000–01 1,950 
			 2001–02 16,300 
			 2002–03 4,425 
			 2003–04 3,050 
			 Total 26,875

Employers' Liability Insurance

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made since his Department's report in June 2003 on employer liability insurance on proposals to reduce the numbers of uninsured firms.

Jane Kennedy: The Department published a Second Stage Report on Employers' Liability Compulsory Insurance (ELCI) on 4 December 2003 which outlines current and future work on enforcement issues to reduce the number of uninsured firms. A copy of the report is available in the Library.
	Enforcement is undertaken on a day-to-day basis by Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors and recent HSE research indicates a high level of compliance, over 99 per cent. Despite this high level of compliance the Department is considering the costs and benefits of a compliance database with HSE and the Association of British Insurers (ABI).
	In addition, in April we published through the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) website new Government procurement guidance to ensure compliance from bodies that contract with the public sector. A notice has been issued centrally to heads of procurement in other Government Departments and public bodies about the guidance and uptake and operation of the guidance will be evaluated in October.
	On 30 March the Department published a Partial Regulatory Impact Assessment about a review of the requirement for ELCI for limited companies that employ only their owner. A copy is available in the Library.

Football Supporters

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many football supporters who have travelled abroad to football championships (a) have been investigated for possible infringement of benefit rules, (b) have had benefits withdrawn and (c) had overpayments identified, broken down by football championship.

Chris Pond: The information is not available.

Health and Safety (Corporate Responsibility)

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of the Health and Safety Commission's report on the effectiveness of the current strategy to promote director's responsibility for health and safety.

Jane Kennedy: The Health and Safety Commission wrote to the Minister for Work in January of this year advising of progress and the way forward on the measures to improve corporate responsibility for Health and Safety including Directors responsibility.
	This advice, which the Minister of Work accepted, was based on research which concluded that further legislation was not necessary, that the voluntary approach was working and that this approach should be continued.
	I am placing a copy of the research reports in the Library.

Health and Safety Executive

Andrew Bennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how the Health and Safety Executive is financing the revenue costs of the 12 extra Band Five posts it is internally recruiting for in the North West region of the Executive; and what their total annual revenue costs will be in a full financial year.

Jane Kennedy: Eleven Band 5 posts are being filled in the North West Division by HSE's internal vacancy filling process in June 2004. Eight of these posts formed part of the North West pilot project which was set up in June 2003 to strengthen HSE's front line capacity and engage with more stakeholders. To ensure that the pilot was cost neutral, a number of inspectors in the division were redeployed to other parts of HSE.
	Following the success of the pilot, these eight posts are being consolidated. In addition, three other Band 5 posts are being created to extend the model to the Construction Division in the North West. These will be funded through a change in the grade mix in HSE's Field Operations Directorate.
	The substantive filling of these posts will attract no additional costs.

Housing Benefit

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what changes have been made to housing benefit to support the policy that 16 to 17-year-old lone parents should be housed in semi-independent adult-supervised accommodation.

Chris Pond: The ODPM have extended the Homelessness (Priority Need for Accommodation) (England) Order 2002, to give priority need to homeless 16 and 17-year-olds (who are not relevant children under the purposes of section 23a of the Children Act 1989). In practice, this means 16 and 17-year-olds will be assisted under Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996 (priority need) and applies to a person to whom a local authority owes a duty to provide accommodation under Section 20 of the Children Act 1989 (provision of accommodation for children in need).
	No changes to housing benefit were required to support this policy.

Income Support

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason income support recipients are not automatically transferred to pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit when they reach 60 years.

Chris Pond: Pension credit is not a continuation of income support but is a different social security benefit with different qualifying conditions. Anyone receiving income support who reaches age 60 on or after 6 October 2003 will have to make a new application for pension credit. Arrangements have been put in place to ensure customers are informed of this in advance of reaching age 60.
	Housing benefit and council tax benefit are different benefits with different qualifying conditions based on a liability to pay rent and council tax respectively. Determining entitlement to housing benefit and council tax benefit, and notifying customers of their entitlement is also the responsibility of local authorities.

Pension Credit

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber are eligible for pension credit; and what the take-up rate is.

Malcolm Wicks: Information on the number of people who are eligible for pension credit is not available in respect of individual constituencies. However, we estimate that approximately 350,000 pensioner households in Scotland (rounded to the nearest 50,000) are eligible for pension credit in 2004–05. At 31 May 2004 there were 3,555 households, comprising 4,210 individuals (rounded to the nearest five), in receipt of pension credit in the Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber constituency.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

British Students (Overseas Courses)

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many British students undertook (a) part of their British undergraduate degree programme, (b) their whole undergraduate degree, and (c) a post-graduate qualification abroad in each year since 1990.

Alan Johnson: The latest available information is shown in the table. Figures for earlier years are not held centrally.
	
		Students form the UK studying all or part of their course overseas
		
			  Undergraduate exchange students on year out abroad 1 UK students studying the whole of their course abroad 2 
		
		
			 1994/95 2,650 26,400 
			 1995/96 3,275 n/a 
			 1996/97 3,940 n/a 
			 1997/98 3,710 26,200 
			 1998/99 4,580 26,900 
			 1999/2000 5,470 27,600 
			 2000/01 4,700 25,400 
			 2001/02 4,940 n/a 
			 2002/03 9,770 n/a 
		
	
	n/a = not available
	(33) Figures for 2002/03 include non-exchange language students, which are excluded for the figures for previous years.
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
	(34) Estimated. Covers all courses; figures are not available for undergraduate and postgraduate courses separately.
	Source:
	Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

CCTV

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many secondary schools have installed CCTV systems.

Ivan Lewis: Schools and local education authorities make their own decisions about the level of security they feel best meets their needs, and information about security equipment, including CCTV systems, is not held centrally. My Department has provided information and guidance about school security that can be obtained free of charge from the Department's publication centre or accessed via the Department's website at www.dfes.gov.uk/schoolsecurity.

Education (Over-40s)

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding will be made available in each year up to 2007–08 to provide those over the age of 40 years with a first Level 2 qualification; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: The Department allocates funds for education and training in the post-16 learning and skills sector to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The Department has allocated a total of £6.3 billion to the LSC for learning participation in 2004–05. It is for the LSC to use these funds for adult and youth programmes to meet the Government's funding priorities. The Department has no plans to allocate specific funding to the LSC for the provision of a first Level 2 qualification to those over the age of 40 years. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced the Spending Review 2004 settlement for the Department for the years 2005–06 to 2007–08, highlighting the importance this Government attach to education and skills. It is too early to say what this settlement will mean for the funding of learning participation up to 2007–08.

Education Authority Areas

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list for each local education authority the (a) number and (b) proportion of residents of (i) primary school and (ii) secondary school age not educated within that local education authority, and the (A) number and (B) proportion of school pupils of (1) primary school and (2) secondary school age not resident within the local education authority.

David Miliband: Tables giving the requested information for all local education authorities have been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Further Education Colleges

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of the £1.2 billion provided to further education colleges for the period 2003 to 2006 has been allocated to (a) Government targets for growth in (i) 16 to 19- year-old students, (ii) adult students, (b) changes in pension entitlements and (c) changes in the level of national insurance contributions.

Alan Johnson: In November 2002 the Secretary of State announced plans to increase assumed funding for further education (FE) allocated to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) by £1.2 billion in 2005–06, when compared to 2002–03. In 2005–06 the proportion of additional assumed funding in FE for planned increases in the number of 16 to 18-year -old full time equivalent (FTE) learners, and those aged 19 and above, is 29 per cent. and 11 per cent. respectively. Funding was not allocated for colleges specifically for changes in the level of national insurance contributions. Colleges are expected to meet these costs from the significant additional investment we are making in FE. Funding to colleges for changes to employer contributions to the Teachers Pension Scheme is over and above the £1.2 billion increase.

Further Education Colleges

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of young people between the ages of 16 and 21 years were studying at further education colleges, excluding A-level and GCSE students, in (a) greater London and (b) each London borough in each of the last five years.

Alan Johnson: Participation rates are routinely available at local education authority level. The proportions of 16 to 21-year-olds residents of greater London studying at further education colleges in 2001 and 2002, excluding GCSE and A-Level students, are shown in the following table.
	
		Proportions of 16 to 21-year-old residents of greater London studying at FE colleges (excluding A-level and GCSE students) by local education authority of residence and year -- Percentage
		
			 Local education authority November 2001 November 2002 
		
		
			 City of London 7 6 
			 Camden 9 8 
			 Greenwich 14 14 
			 Hackney 21 20 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 14 13 
			 Islington 16 15 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 10 9 
			 Lambeth 21 22 
			 Lewisham 17 18 
			 Southwark 17 19 
			 Tower Hamlets 14 15 
			 Wandsworth 14 15 
			 Westminster 10 8 
			 Barking and Dagenham 14 14 
			 Barnet 14 14 
			 Bexley 15 14 
			 Brent 17 17 
			 Bromley 11 10 
			 Croydon 18 17 
			 Ealing 16 16 
			 Enfield 18 18 
			 Haringey 22 21 
			 Harrow 19 18 
			 Havering 18 18 
			 Hillingdon 15 14 
			 Hounslow 14 13 
			 Kingston upon Thames 9 8 
			 Merton 16 16 
			 Newham 23 21 
			 Redbridge 14 14 
			 Richmond upon Thames 12 12 
			 Sutton 14 14 
			 Waltham Forest 20 21 
			 Greater London 16 16 
		
	
	Source:
	LSC Individualised Student Record
	LSC Individualised Learner Record
	ONS/GAD population estimates
	The percentages in this table are produced using post-Census population estimates. However we are currently unable to provide a historical series on a comparable population basis. Further information concerning this issue can be found in the Department's Statistical First Release, "Participation in Education, Training and Employment by 16–18 Year Olds in England: 2001 and 2002" available online at: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgatewav/DB/SFR/s000426/index.shtml.

Further Education Colleges

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many full-time equivalent students have been educated at each of the further education colleges on Merseyside in each year.

Alan Johnson: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Mark Haysom the Council's Chief Executive will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Learning and Skills Council

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what he expects the funding gap between school sixth forms and further education colleges to be in (a) 2004–05, (b) 2005–06 and (c) 2006–07.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 7 June 2004
	The Government have set out its investment plans for 2003–04 to 2005–06 which should enable the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to increase funding for further education significantly. For the academic year 2003/04, base funding rates per qualification increased by 3 per cent. for school sixth forms and by 4.5 per cent. for further education colleges on a broadly comparable basis. Our expenditure plans to 2005–06 should see this trend continue. Although the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced on 17 March the Spending Review settlement for the Department for the years 2005–06 to 2007–08, Ministers have yet to determine funding allocations and priorities within the Department. It is therefore too early to say what impact this settlement will have on the funding of schools, sixth forms and further education colleges.

Learning and Skills Council

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to equalise funding between schools and colleges for 16–19 years olds in Weston-Super-Mare.

Alan Johnson: The Government have set out its investment plans for 2003–04 to 2005–06 which should enable the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to increase funding for further education significantly. For the academic year 2003/04, core funding rates per qualification increased by 3 per cent. for school sixth forms and by 4.5 per cent. for further education colleges on a broadly comparable basis. Our expenditure plans to 2005–06 should see this trend continue.

Learning and Skills Council

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to provide funding to help further education colleges in Weston-Super-Mare to refurbish and rebuild their estates.

Alan Johnson: All of the Department's post-16 learning and skills sector capital investment is allocated to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The Department does not provide a specific budget to the LSC for rebuilding and refurbishing property in further education colleges at either the local or regional levels. It is for the LSC to determine for itself the right level of capital investment in further education colleges. Mr. Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member on this matter and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Learning and Skills Council

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to equalise funding between schools and colleges for 16 to 19-year-olds in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 7 June 2004
	The Government have set out its investment plans for 2003–04 to 2005–06 which should enable the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to increase funding for further education significantly. For the academic year 2003/04, core funding rates per qualification increased by 3 per cent. for school sixth forms and by 4.5 per cent. for further education colleges on a broadly comparable basis. Our expenditure plans to 2005–06 should see this trend continue.

Learning and Skills Council

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much capital expenditure has been allocated to each further education college on Merseyside since 1995.

Alan Johnson: All of the Department's post-16 learning and skills sector capital investment is allocated to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The Department does not provide a specific budget to the LSC for rebuilding and refurbishing property in further education colleges at either the local or regional levels, and does not collect this information. It is for the LSC to determine for itself the right level of capital investment in further education colleges. This is an operational matter for the LSC. Mr. Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to my hon. Friend on this matter and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Learning and Skills Council

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding each further education college on Merseyside received in each year since 1997; what budget they have been allocated from the Learning and Skills Council for 2004–05; and what percentage change these allocations represent in comparison with the previous year.

Alan Johnson: The Department allocates funds for education and training in the post-16 learning and skills sector to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The LSC decides the funding allocations at individual college level. Information about these allocations is not collected by the Department. This is an operational matter and the responsibility of the LSC. Mark Haysom, the LSC's Chief Executive, will write to my hon. Friend with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Maintenance Allowances

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will publish his assessment of the impact of the Education Maintenance Allowance pilots on participation in work-based training.

Ivan Lewis: The analysis of the impact of the Education Maintenance Allowance pilot on participation in work based training is not published. The analysis showed minimal impact. I refer the hon. Member to the response given to his previous question on this matter on 11 March 2004, Official Report, column 1725W.

Irish Language (Pharmacy)

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether pharmacy is taught in the Irish language at tertiary level at institutions in the UK.

Alan Johnson: I have responsibility for higher education in England only. However, information on individual subjects that may be taught in the Irish language in English higher education institutions is not available centrally.

DEFENCE

Armando Nuclear Test

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has made arrangements under the 1958 US-UK Mutual Defence Agreement on atomic energy matters, as amended, to obtain the test results from the Armando sub-critical nuclear test at the Nevada test conducted on 25 May by the US National Nuclear Security Administration.

Adam Ingram: There are regular United Kingdom/United States exchanges on a range of nuclear stockpile stewardship matters under the auspices of the 1958 UK/US Mutual Defence Agreement (Cmd 537 as amended). These exchanges have included briefings on the scope and outcome of US sub-critical experiments carried out at the Nevada Test Site, precise details of which are being withheld under the terms of Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. Data from sub-critical experiments, which are consistent with our obligations under the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, is valuable in maintaining confidence in the safety and reliability of our nuclear weapons. A review of the science behind this programme was published in Nature in February 2002.

Augusta Westland

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what effect he expects the sale of GKN's shares in Augusta Westland to Finmeccancia of Italy will have on the completion date of the assessment phase for the Lynx replacement; and when he expects to make a decision on the awarding of the contract for that programme.

Adam Ingram: The sale of GKN's shares in Augusta Westland will have little effect on the completion date of the assessment phase of the Battlefield Light Utility Helicopter/Surface Combatant Maritime Rotorcraft programmes. The assessment phase is currently scheduled to complete later this year. The decision on the future of these programmes is most likely to be made early in 2005.

BAE Systems

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether concerns over the tender procedures for the upgrading of helicopters in Bulgaria were discussed at the meeting held on 2 December 2003 between the Minister for the armed forces and the Bulgarian Air Force commander, General Dimiter Georgiev.

Adam Ingram: I met with the Bulgarian Deputy Defence Minister and senior Bulgarian Defence personnel on 2 December 2003. A wide range of issues were discussed and no concerns were raised over the tender procedures for the upgrading of helicopters in Bulgaria.

BAE Systems

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether officials of his Department have held meetings at which the BAE Systems bid for the upgrading of helicopters in Bulgaria was discussed which were attended by Prince Kyril Saxe-Coburg of Bulgaria.

Adam Ingram: No record has been traced of Prince Kyril Saxe-Coburg of Bulgaria attending any meeting on this subject held with officials from the Ministry of Defence.

Commercial Exportation Levy

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much money was received through the commercial exportation levy in each of the last four years.

Adam Ingram: The value of receipts collected by the Defence Bills Agency in respect of Commercial Exploitation Levies over the last four years was as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year Receipt (£ million) 
		
		
			 2000–01 14.51 
			 2001–02 14.64 
			 2002–03 10.46 
			 2003–04 11.83

Contaminated Land (Portsmouth)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the letter of 24th May, on possible contaminated land in Portsmouth, what requests he has received for details of such land from Portsmouth city council in the last five years.

Ivor Caplin: The Ministry of Defence holds records of four requests during the last five years, from Portsmouth city council, for details on potential contaminated land. These requests were associated with environmental issues and proposed development on defence property in the City of Portsmouth.
	The four sites are: HM Naval Base, HMS Excellent, Fort Southwick and Horsea Island. Primarily these questions relate to development and are associated with the Department's Planning Consultation process. In regard to Horsea Island, there have been long-term discussions with the Environment Agency on the remediation of the lagoon.

Training Accidents

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many training accidents have occurred in the Army in the last five years for which figures are available, broken down by (a) deaths, (b) serious injuries and (c) injuries;
	(2)  what definition he uses of a road traffic accident for the purposes of statistical recording; and, in the past two years, what proportion of deaths through road traffic accidents involved service personnel (a) on exercise, (b) on regular duties and (c) off duty.

Ivor Caplin: The reporting of vehicle related accidents within the Ministry of Defence is based upon the following: the accident involves injury; a third party; or Ministry of Defence vehicles and equipment only. Those accidents resulting in a fatality or injury to any individual or those which involve a third party are regarded as road traffic accidents (as defined in law). Those which result in damage to military vehicles only are classified as incidents.
	During the period 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2003, Ministry of Defence units and establishments reported a total of 10,363 road traffic accidents and 7,113 incidents. There were 118 Service fatalities; of these, seven were on operations/exercise and a further 14 on other duties. There were 97 off duty Service fatalities during this period. Details of accidents involving vehicles privately owned by Service personnel are not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Defence Bodies

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many (a) officers and (b) other ranks were employed on average in the (i) Defence Storage and Distribution Agency, (ii) Defence Postal and Courier Service, (iii) Defence Transport and Movements Agency, (iv) Deputy Chief Defence Logistics, (v) Army Base Repair Organisation, (vi) DG Defence Logistics Command Information Systems, (vii) Defence Aviation Repair Agency and (viii) Logistics Information Systems Agency management groups in financial year 2000–01;
	(2)  how many (a) officers and (b) other ranks were employed on average in the (i) Defence Storage and Distribution Agency, (ii) Defence Postal and Courier Service, (iii) Defence Transport and Movements Agency, (iv) Deputy Chief Defence Logistics, (v) Army Base Repair Organisation, (vi) Command Information Systems, (vii) Defence Aviation Repair Agency, (viii) Logistics Information Systems Agency and (ix) Non Disaggregated Funds management groups in financial year 1999–2000;
	(3)  how many (a) officers and (b) other ranks were employed on average in the (i) DG Equipment Support (Land), (ii) Director Land Service Ammunition, (iii) Defence Clothing and Textiles Agency, (iv) Warship Support Agency, (v) DG Fleet Support (Operations), (vi) DG Equipment Support (Air), (vii) Defence Communication Services Agency, (viii) Defence Fuels Group and (ix) DG Support Army HQ management groups in financial year 2000–01;
	(4)  how many (a) officers and (b) other ranks were employed on average in the (i) Internal Costs and (ii) Programme Account management groups in financial year 2001–02;
	(5)  how many (a) officers and (b) other ranks were employed on average in the (i) Defence Vetting Agency, (ii) Finance Directors, (iii) Defence Analytical Services Agency, (iv) Defence Bills Agency, (v) Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Commitments), (vi) Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel), (vii) Defence Housing Executives, (viii) Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency and (ix) Defence Geographical and Imaging Intelligence Agency management groups in the financial year 2001–02;
	(6)  how many full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians were employed on average in the (i) Defence Export Services Organisation, (ii) Chief Constable MOD Police, (iii) Chief Scientific Adviser, (iv) Defence Estates Organisation, (v) Policy Director, (vi) Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Equipment Capability) (vii) Civilian Management, (viii) Pay and Personnel Agency and (ix) Director General Information management groups in the financial year 2000–01;
	(7)  how many full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians and how many (i) officers and (ii) other ranks were employed on average in the (A) Defence Vetting Agency, (B) Finance Directors, (C) Defence Analytical Services Agency, (D) Defence Bills Agency, (E) Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Commitments), (F) Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel), (G) Defence Housing Executive, (H) Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency and (I) Defence Geographical and Imaging Intelligence Agency management groups in the financial year 2000–01;
	(8)  how many full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians were employed on average in the (i) Defence Export Services Organisation, (ii) Chief Constable MOD Police, (iii) Chief Scientific Adviser, (iv) Defence Estates Organisation, (v) Policy Director, (vi) Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Equipment Capability) (vii) Civilian Management, (viii) Pay and Personnel Agency and (ix) Director General Information management groups in financial year 1999–2000;
	(9)  what the average number of (a) officers and (b) other ranks employed in the (i) Internal Costs and (ii) Personnel Account management group was in the financial years (A) 1999–2000 and (B) 2000–01;
	(10)  what the average number of full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians employed in the (i) Army Personnel Centre, (ii) Queen Victoria School, (iii) Duke of York Royal Military School, (iv) Army Training and Recruiting Agency, (v) Service Children's Education, (vi) Army Programmes, (vii) General Staff, (viii) Adjutant General Higher Level Budget and (ix) Royal Military College Shrivenham management group was in financial year (A) 2000–01 and (b) 2001–02;
	(11)  what the average number of full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians employed in the (i) Personnel Management Agency, (ii) Training Group Defence Agency and (iii) Core HQ management group was in financial years (A) 1999–2000, (B) 2000–01 and (C) 2001–02;
	(12)  what the average number of full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians employed in the (i) Internal Costs and (ii) Programme Account management group was in financial year 1999–2000;
	(13)  what the average number of (a) officers and (b) other ranks employed in the (i) 1 Group, (ii) 2 Group, (iii) 3 Group, and (iv) Deputy Commander-in-Chief management group was in financial years (A) 2000–01 and (B) 2001–02;
	(14)  what the average number of full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians employed was in the (i) 1 (UK) Armoured Division, (ii) 2nd Division, (iii) 3rd Division, (iv) 4th Division, (v) 5th Division, (vi) Training and Theatre Groups, (vii) Joint Helicopter Command, (viii) UK Support Command (Germany) and (ix) Land Support management group in financial year 2001–02;
	(15)  what the average number of full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians employed in the (i) Flag Officer Training and Recruitment, (ii) Naval Secretary and (iii) HQ management group was in financial year 2001–02;
	(16)  what the average number of (a) officers and (b) other ranks employed by the General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland top level budget-holder was in financial year (i) 1999–2000, (ii) 2000–01 and (iii) 2001–02;
	(17)  what the average number of (a) officers and (b) other ranks employed in the (i) 1 Group, (ii) 11/18 Group, (iii) 38 Group, (iv) Directly Administered Units, (v) Chief of Staff and (vi) Works and Land management group was in financial year 1999–2000;
	(18)  what the average number of full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians employed in the (i) Chief of Defence Intelligence, (ii) Defence Intelligence and Security Centre, (iii) Surgeon General, (iv) Defence Secondary Care Agency, (v) Defence Dental Agency, (vi) Medical Supplies Agency, (vii) Defence Medical Training Organisation, (viii) Central Banking and Fund Management, (ix) DG Information and Communication Services and (x) Defence Communication Services management group was in financial year 1999–2000;
	(19)  what the average number of (a) officers and (b) other ranks employed in the (i) Flag Officer Naval Aviation, (ii) Fleet HQ, (iii) Flag Officer Surface Flotilla, (iv) Flag Officer Submarines, (v) Commandant General Royal Marines, (vi) Commodore Royal Fleet Auxiliary and (vii) non-disaggregated funds management group was in financial year 1999–2000;
	(20)  how many full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians were employed on average in the (i) DG Equipment Support (Land), (ii) Direct Land Service Ammunition, (iii) Defence Clothing and Textiles Agency, (iv) Warship Support Agency, (v) DG Equipment Support (Air), (vi) Defence Communication Services Agency and (vii) Defence Fuels Group management group in financial year 2001–02;
	(21)  how many (a) officers and (b) other ranks were employed on average in the (i) Naval Training and Recruiting Agency, (ii) Naval Manning Agency, (iii) HQ, (iv) Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff and (v) Fleet Accommodation Centres management group in financial year 1999–2000;
	(22)  how many full time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians were employed on average in the (i) DG Equipment Support (Land), (ii) Director Land Service Ammunition, (iii) Defence Clothing and Textiles Agency, (iv) Warship Support Agency, (v) DG Fleet Support (Operations), (vi) DG Equipment Support (Air), (vii) Defence Communication Services Agency, (viii) Defence Fuels Group and (ix) DG Support Army HQ management groups in financial year 2000–01;
	(23)  how many full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians were employed on average in the (i) Army Personnel Centre, (ii) Queen Victoria School, (iii) Duke of York Royal Military School, (iv) Army Training and Recruiting Agency, (v) Service Children's Education, (vi) Army Programmes, (vii) General Staff, (viii) Adjutant General and (ix) Royal Military College Shrivenham management group in financial year 1999–2000;
	(24)  what the average number of full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians employed in the (i) Chief of Defence Intelligence, (ii) Defence Intelligence and Security Centre, (iii) Surgeon General, (iv) Defence Secondary Care Agency, (v) Defence Dental Agency, (vi) Medical Supplies Agency, (vii) Defence Medical Training Organisation and (viii) Central Banking and Fund Management group was in financial year 2000–01;
	(25)  what the average number of full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians employed by the Major Customers Research Budgets top level budget-holder was in financial year (i) 1999–2000 and (ii) 2000–01;
	(26)  what the average number of (a) officers and (b) other ranks employed in the (i) 1 (UK) Armoured Division, (ii) 2nd Division, (iii) 3rd Division, (iv) 4th Division, (v) 5th Division, (vi) Command HQ, (vii) Scotland, (viii) Capital Works and (ix) UK Support Command (Germany) management group was in financial year 1999–2000;
	(27)  what the average number of full time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians employed in the (i) Commodore Naval Aviation, (ii) Fleet HQ, (iii) Flag Officer Surface Flotilla, (iv) Flag Officer Submarines, (v) Commandant General Royal Marines, (vi) Commodore Royal Fleet Auxiliary and (vii) Non-Disaggregated Funds management group was in financial year (A) 2000–01 and (B) 2001–02;
	(28)  how many (a) officers and (b) other ranks were employed on average in the (i) Defence Export Services Organisation, (ii) Chief Constable MOD Police, (iii) Chief Scientific Adviser, (iv) Defence Estates Organisation, (v) Policy Director, (vi) Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Systems), (vii) Civilian Management, (viii) Pay and Personnel Agency and (ix) Director General Information management groups in financial year 1999–2000;
	(29)  what the average number of (a) officers and (b) other ranks employed in the (i) Personnel Management Agency, (ii) Training Group Defence Agency and (iii) Core HQ management group was in the financial year (A) 1999–2000, (B) 2000–01 and (C) 2001–02;
	(30)  what the average number of (a) officers and (b) other ranks employed in the Chief of Staff management group was in the financial year 2000–01;
	(31)  how many (a) officers and (b) other ranks was employed on average in the (i) British Forces Cyprus, (ii) Permanent Joint Headquarters, (iii) British Forces Falkland Islands, (iv) British Forces Gibraltar and (v) Sovereign Base Areas Administration management groups in financial year 2001–02;
	(32)  what the average number of (a) officers and (b) other ranks and full time equivalent (i) industrial and (ii) non-industrial civilians employed in the (A) Defence Vetting Agency, (B) Finance Director, (C) Defence Analytical Services Agency, (D) Defence Bills Agency, (E) Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Commitments), (F) Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel), (G) Defence Housing Executive, (H) Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency and (I) Defence Geographical and Imaging Intelligence Agency management groups was in financial year 1999–2000;
	(33)  how many (a) officers and (b) other ranks were employed on average in the (i) British Forces Cyprus, (ii) Permanent Joint Headquarters, (iii) British Forces Falkland Islands, (iv) British Forces Gibraltar and (v) Sovereign Base Areas Administration management groups in financial year 2000–01;
	(34)  how many full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians were employed on average in the (i) Defence Storage and Distribution Agency, (ii) Defence Postal and Courier Service, (iii) Defence Transport and Movements Agency, (iv) Deputy Chief Defence Logistics, (v) Army Base Repair Organisation, (vi) DG Defence Logistics Command Information Systems, (vii) Defence Aviation Repair Agency, (viii) Logistics Information Systems Agency and (ix) Non Disaggregated Funds management groups in financial year 1999–2000;
	(35)  how many (a) officers and (b) other ranks were employed on average in the (i) DG Equipment Support (Land), (ii) Director Land Service Ammunition, (iii) Defence Clothing and Textiles Agency, (iv) Ships Support Agency, (v) Naval Base and Supply Agency, (vi) DG Equipment Support (Air) (vii) Defence Communication Services Agency, (viii) Defence Fuels Group and (ix) DG Support Army HQ management groups in financial year 1999–2000;
	(36)  how many full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians were employed on average in the (i) Defence Storage and Distribution Agency, (ii) Defence Postal and Courier Service, (iii) Defence Transport and Movements Agency, (iv) Deputy Chief Defence Logistics, (v) Army Base Repair Organisation, (vi) DG Defence Logistics Command Information Systems, (vii) Defence Aviation Repair Agency and (viii) Logistics Information Systems Agency management groups in financial 2000–01;
	(37)  how many full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians were employed on average in the (i) DG Equipment Support (Land), (ii) Director Land Service Ammunition, (iii) Defence Clothing and Textiles Agency, (iv) Ships Support Agency, (v) Naval Base and Supply Agency, (vi) DG Equipment Support (Air) (vii) Defence Communication Services Agency, (viii) Defence Fuels Group and (ix) DG Support Army HQ management groups in financial year 1999–2000;
	(38)  how many full time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians were employed on average in the (i) British Forces Cyprus, (ii) Permanent Joint Headquarters, (iii) British Forces Falkland Islands, (iv) British Forces Gibraltar and (v) Sovereign Base Areas Administration management groups in financial year 2001–02;
	(39)  how many full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians and how many (i) officers and (ii) other ranks were employed on average in the (A) Defence Export Services Organisation, (B) Chief Constable MoD Police, (C) Chief Scientific Adviser, (D) Defence Estates Organisation, (E) Policy Director, (F) Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Equipment Capability) (G) Civilian Management, (H) Pay and Personnel Agency and (I) Director General Information management groups in the financial year 2001–02;
	(40)  what the average number of (a) officers and (b) other ranks employed in the (i) 1st (UK) Armoured Division, (ii) 2nd Division, (iii) 3rd Division, (iv) 4th Division, (v) 5th Division, (vi) Command HQ, (vii) UK Support Command (Germany), (viii) Joint Helicopter Command and (ix) Land Support management groups was in the financial year 2000–01;
	(41)  what the average number of (a) officers and (b) other ranks employed in the (i) Army Personnel Centre, (ii) Queen Victoria School, (iii) Duke of York Royal Military School, (iv) Army Training and Recruiting Agency, (v) Service Children's Education, (vi) Army Programmes, (vii) General Staff, (viii) Adjutant General Higher Level Budget and (ix) Royal Military College Shrivenham management group was in financial year (A) 2000–01 and (b) 2001–02;
	(42)  what the average number of (a) officers and (b) other ranks employed in the (i) British Forces Cyprus, (ii) Permanent Joint Headquarters, (iii) British Forces Falkland Islands, (iv) British Forces Gibraltar and (v) Sovereign Base Areas Administration management group was in financial year 1999–2000;
	(43)  what the average number of full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians employed in the (i) 1 (UK) Armoured Division, (ii) 2nd Division, (iii) 3rd Division, (iv) 4th Division, (v) 5th Division, (vi) Command HQ, (vii) UK Support Command (Germany), (viii) Joint Helicopter Command and (ix) Land Support management groups was in financial year 2000–01;
	(44)  what the average number of (a) officers and (b) other ranks employed in the (i) Commodore Naval Aviation, (ii) Fleet HQ, (iii) Flag Officer Surface Flotilla, (iv) Flag Officer Submarines, (v) Commandant General Royal Marines, (vi) Commodore Royal Fleet Auxiliary and (vii) Non-Disaggregated Funds management group was in financial year (A) 2000–01 and (B) 2001–02;
	(45)  what the average number of (a) officers and (b) other ranks employed in the (i) Flag Officer Training and Recruitment, (ii) Naval Secretary and (iii) HQ management group was in financial year 2001–02;
	(46)  what the average number of (a) officers and (b) other ranks employed in the (i) Naval Training and Recruiting Agency, (ii) Naval Manning Agency, (iii) HQ, and (iv) Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff management group was in financial year 2000–01;
	(47)  what the average number of (a) officers and (b) other ranks employed in the (i) 1 (UK) Armoured Division, (ii) 2nd Division, (iii) 3rd Division, (iv) 4th Division, (v) 5th Division, (vi) Training and Theatre Troupes, (vii) Joint Helicopter Command, (viii) UK Support Command (Germany) and (ix) Land Support management group was in financial year 2001–02;
	(48)  what the average number of (a) officers and (b) other ranks employed by the Major Customers Research Budget was in financial year (i) 1999–2000 and (ii) 2000–01;
	(49)  what the average number of (a) officers and (b) other ranks employed in the (i) Chief of Defence Intelligence, (ii) Defence Intelligence and Security Centre, (iii) Surgeon General, (iv) Defence Secondary Care Agency, (v) Defence Dental Agency, (vi) Medical Supplies Agency, (vii) Defence Medical Training Organisation and (viii) Central Banking and Fund Management group was in financial year 2000–01;
	(50)  how many full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians were employed on average in the (i) DG Support Army HQ, (ii) Defence Storage and Distribution Agency, (iii) Defence Postal and Courier Service, (iv) Defence Transport and Movements Agency, (v) Deputy Chief Defence Logistics, (vi) Army Base Repair Organisation and (vii) DG Defence Logistics Command Information Systems management group in financial year 2001–02;
	(51)  how many (a) officers and (b) other ranks were employed in the (i) Army Personnel Centre, (ii) Queen Victoria School, (iii) Duke of York Royal Military School, (iv) Army Training and Recruiting Agency, (v) Service Children's Education, (vi) Army Programmes, (vii) General Staff, (viii) Chief of Staff and (ix) Royal Military College Shirvenham management group in financial year 1999–2000;
	(52)  how many full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians were employed on average in the (i) Naval Training and Recruiting Agency, (ii) Naval Manning Agency, (iii) HQ, (iv) Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff and (v) Fleet Accommodation Centres management group in financial year 1999–2000;
	(53)  what the average number of full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians employed in the (i) Flag Officer Naval Aviation, (ii) Fleet HQ, (iii) Flag Officer Surface Flotilla, (iv) Flag Officer Submarines, (v) Commandant General Royal Marines, (vi) Commodore Royal Fleet Auxiliary and (vii) non-disaggregated funds management group was in financial year 1999–2000;
	(54)  what the average number of full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians employed in the (i) 1 Group, (ii) 11/18 Group, (iii) 38 Group, (iv) Directly Administered Units, (v) Chief of Staff and (vi) Works and Land management group was in financial year 1999–2000;
	(55)  what the average number of full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians employed by the General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland top level budget-holder was in financial year (i) 1999–2000, (ii) 2000–01 and (iii) 2001–02;
	(56)  what the average number of full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians employed in the (i) Naval Training and Recruiting Agency, (ii) Naval Manning Agency, (iii) HQ, and (iv) Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff management group was in financial year 2000–01;
	(57)  what the average number of full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians employed in the Chief of Staff management group was in the financial year 2000–01;
	(58)  how many (a) officers and (b) other ranks were employed on average in the (i) DG Equipment Support (Land), (ii) Director Land Service Ammunition, (iii) Defence Clothing and Textiles Agency, (iv) Warship Support Agency, (v) DG Equipment Support (Air), (vi) Defence Communication Services Agency and (vii) Defence Fuels Group management groups in financial year 2001–02;
	(59)  how many full time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians were employed on average in the (i) British Forces Cyprus, (ii) Permanent Joint Headquarters, (iii) British Forces Falkland Islands, (iv) British Forces Gibraltar and (v) Sovereign Base Areas Administration management groups in financial year 2000–01;
	(60)  what the average number of (a) officers and (b) other ranks employed in the (i) Chief of Defence Intelligence, (ii) Defence Intelligence and Security Centre, (iii) Surgeon General, (iv) Defence Secondary Care Agency, (v) Defence Dental Agency, (vi) Medical Supplies Agency, (vii) Defence Medical Training Organisation, (viii) Central Banking and Fund Management, (ix) DG Information and Communication Service and (x) Defence Communication Services management groups was in financial year 1999–2000;
	(61)  how many full time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians were employed on average in (i) Internal Costs and (ii) Programme Account management groups in financial year 2000–01;
	(62)  how many (a) officers and (b) other ranks were employed on average in the (i) Defence Export Services Organisation, (ii) Chief Constable MOD Police, (iii) Chief Scientific Adviser, (iv) Defence Estates Organisation, (v) Policy Director, (vi) Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Equipment Capability), (vii) Civilian Management, (viii) Pay and Personnel Agency and (ix) Director General Information management groups in financial year 2000–01;
	(63)  what the average number of full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians employed in the (i) British Forces Cyprus, (ii) Permanent Joint Headquarters, (iii) British Forces Falkland Islands, (iv) British Forces Gibraltar and (v) Sovereign Base Areas Administration management group was in financial year 1999–2000;
	(64)  how many (a) officers and (b) other ranks were employed on average in the (i) DG Support Army HQ, (ii) Defence Storage and Distribution Agency, (iii) Defence Postal and Courier Service, (iv) Defence Transport and Movements Agency, (v) Deputy Chief Defence Logistics, (vi) Army Base Repair Organisation and (vii) DG Defence Logistics Command Information Systems management group in financial year 2001–02;
	(65)  how many full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians were employed on average in the (i) Internal Costs and (ii) Programme Account management groups in financial year 2001–02.

Ivor Caplin: The available information on numbers of military and civilian personnel analysed by budgetary grouping and by Defence Agency is contained in tables 2.2, 2.3 and 2.7 of United Kingdom Defence Statistics 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002 copies of which are available in the Library of the House. Further details could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Disposal Services Agency

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people were employed by the Disposal Services Agency in each of the last three years; what the staff costs were in each of those years; and what the forecast cost is for each of the next two years.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to page 39 of the Disposal Services Agency (DSA)'s Annual report and accounts 2002–03. For the financial year 2003–2004 the average number of staff employed was 80, and the personnel costs approximately £3 million subject to audit.
	Forecast staff costs for 2004–05 are £3.1 million and for 2005–06, £2.7 million. The reduction in salaries being due to the cessation of the "Al Hussein Project" in 2005. The figures do not include personnel due to be transferred into DSA from the Defence Logistics Organisation as from 1 April 2005. These are due to be finalised over the coming months.

Eurofighter Typhoon

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when he expects the Typhoon to enter service with the RAF;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on progress on the Typhoon programme.

Adam Ingram: Typhoon achieved "type acceptance" in June 2003, triggering the entry to service process. The first RAF aircraft was accepted off contract in December 2003, and to date, six have been delivered. Release to Service, allowing flying under normal RAF procedures, was achieved earlier this month. The aircraft are now engaged in the process of pilot training and operational evaluation to enable Typhoon to be deployed operationally during the second half of the decade. The next step in the procurement process will be the order for the second Tranche of aircraft, and negotiations are in progress.

Eurofighter Typhoon

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on problems experienced with the Typhoon's software programmes; whether he expects the software problems to delay the Typhoon's entry into service with the RAF; and what estimate he has made of the cost of correcting the problems.

Adam Ingram: Typhoon, in common with other technologically advanced projects worldwide, has experienced some problems attributable to software development. However, the aircraft has already entered service with the RAF and we do not expect software problems to delay its operational employment date. We would expect costs associated with correcting problems of this nature to be covered within the existing contract prices as part of the performance warranty.

Eurofighter Typhoon

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of (a) the Typhoon's capability as a single seat fighter in all conditions and in all combat roles and (b) the need for a second crew member for certain operations.

Adam Ingram: Typhoon, as with all new military aircraft, is undergoing a rigorous and incremental series of testing and evaluations to expand gradually its flight parameters to bring it up to an operational capability for front line service. Typhoon is performing extremely well at this stage of the development programme as it moves towards achievement of its full, single seat, Multi Role capability.

Export and Market Access Forum

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to establish a defence export and market access forum.

Adam Ingram: The Government's Defence Industrial Policy, launched in October 2002, recommended the setting up of a forum to address export promotion issues and improved access for United Kingdom industry into key foreign markets. The Defence Export and Market Access Forum is chaired by the Head of Defence Export Services and the first meeting was held on 12 March 2003.

Farnborough Air Show

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what support his Department is giving to the organisers of the Farnborough Air Show taking place from 19 to 25 July; and whether this includes assistance to enable overseas visitors to attend.

Adam Ingram: In accordance with the Government's policy of supporting defence exports, the Ministry of Defence undertakes a broad range of activities in support of The Society of British Aerospace Companies which organises the Farnborough International Air Show. The Defence Export Services Organisation provides marketing support to the United Kingdom exhibitors and helps the organisers ensure maximum exposure of UK products to potential customers by supporting official inward visits.

Faslane

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is mandatory for submariners and radiation workers to use the IPM7 radiation monitor when they leave the nuclear submarines at HM Naval Base, Clyde Faslane; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Personnel exiting submarine reactor compartments must be monitored (by suitably qualified and experienced workers) using hand-held instrumentation capable of detecting very low levels of radioactive contamination. In addition, after leaving submarines, all staff have the opportunity to use a walk-through monitor similar to the IPM 7. This secondary monitoring normally takes place after the worker has completed primary monitoring and removed his protective clothing. The purpose of this equipment is to provide reassurance to personnel leaving controlled areas, and is compulsory where contamination is suspected or found on exiting the Reactor Compartment.

Iraq

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the countries which have troops stationed in Iraq; and how many troops are deployed in each case.

Adam Ingram: Exact numbers of forces deployed by each nation in Iraq varies daily. The table gives current, rounded, numbers.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Albania 70 
			 Australia 400 
			 Azerbaijan 150 
			 Bulgaria 450 
			 Canada 2 
			 Czech Republic 100 
			 Denmark 400 
			 El Salvador 400 
			 Estonia 30 
			 Georgia 150 
			 Honduras 350 
			 Hungary 300 
			 Italy 2,500 
			 Japan 550 
			 Kazakhstan 30 
			 Korea 500 
			 Latvia 100 
			 Lithuania 100 
			 Macedonia 30 
			 Moldova 1 
			 Mongolia 150 
			 Netherlands 1,200 
			 New Zealand 50 
			 Norway 150 
			 Philippines 50 
			 Poland 2,500 
			 Portugal 100 
			 Romania 750 
			 Slovakia 100 
			 Spain 950 
			 Thailand 450 
			 Turkey 20 
			 Ukraine 1,500 
			 United Kingdom 9,500 
			 United States 130,000

Joint Combat Aircraft

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the total projected budget of the Future Joint Combat Aircraft was spent prior to main gate approval.

Adam Ingram: £144 million was spent on the pre Main Gate Assessment phase of the Joint Combat Aircraft programme. This equates to 6 per cent. of the approved procurement cost to date. This figure excludes expenditure by the United States on the Joint Strike Fighter.

Joint Strike Fighter

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what talks have taken place with BAE Systems about the Joint Strike Fighter's ability to operate from aircraft carriers.

Adam Ingram: We keep in close touch with the industry teams (which include BAE Systems) involved in the United Kingdom future aircraft carrier and Joint Strike Fighter programmes. An integral element of the discussion is the interface between the ship and the aircraft.

Legacy Wrecks

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the letter of the Under-Secretary of State D/05 of S/IC 1295/04/A of 5 April, what his policy is on UK legacy wrecks and related issues of liability; what assessment he has made of their potential to pollute; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: Our policy on UK military legacy wrecks and related issues of liability remains as set out in my letter of 5 April. At present, the Ministry of Defence is consulting with other Government Departments, including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, as to the most appropriate means of resolving the legal principle in international law of the ownership of wrecks. We do not expect to resolve the international position on ownership for some time because of the differing views taken by various states, although we hope to have a preliminary view by late autumn.
	In respect of pollution, the wrecks database at the UK Hydrographic Office contains some 60,000 records of wrecks worldwide, of which approximately 20,000 are named vessels. If a wreck is below 200 metres, and so is not likely to be a danger to shipping, it is recorded but not charted. Within the Western Hemisphere there are 422 records of UK military legacy wrecks, only 275 of which are charted, and in the Eastern Hemisphere there are 501 records with 295 charted. No assessment has been made of the potential of each of these vessels to pollute. However, as I said to my hon. Friend in my letter of 5 April, the Ministry of Defence will continue to address individual cases of potential pollution hazards from UK military wrecks on their own merits and take whatever action we deem necessary.

Lynx Replacement

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the assessment phase for the Lynx replacement to be completed; and when he expects to make a decision on the future of this programme.

Adam Ingram: The assessment phase of the Battlefield Light Utility Helicopter and Surface Combatant Maritime Rotorcraft is currently scheduled to complete later this year.
	The decision on the future of these programmes is most likely to be made early in 2005.

Military Support Vehicle

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to announce his decision on the preferred bidder for the military support vehicle contract.

Adam Ingram: The preferred bidder for the support vehicle project will be announced as soon as possible.

Military Support Vehicle

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the potential for compatibility of equipment and co-operation between UK forces and US allies in the field when considering the supply of future strategic and tactical military support vehicles.

Adam Ingram: Interoperability between our armed forces and those of our NATO allies has been considered as part of the evaluation of bidders' proposals for the support vehicle project.

Military Support Vehicle

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what investigations he has undertaken in considering his decision on preferred bidder status for the UK military support vehicle contract into the performance of medium tactical vehicles already in use with the US Army; and which company's products achieved the highest level of in-service operational readiness during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Adam Ingram: As part of the competition for the support vehicle project, bidders had the opportunity to state their previous experience of supplying wheeled military vehicles to other Governments and to provide evidence of the performance of such vehicles. This material has informed the evaluation process.
	We are aware that vehicles manufactured by Oshkosh and Stewart and Stevenson, two of the four bidders for the support vehicle contract, were used by the US Army and Marine Corps in Operation Iraqi Freedom. However, none of the vehicles used were the variants offered by those companies and an analysis of the type suggested would be inappropriate in the context of the current competition.

Military Support Vehicle

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the importance of supplier experience and track record in his consideration of preferred bidder status for the military support vehicle contract.

Adam Ingram: Consideration of these matters has informed the evaluation of bidders' proposals for the support vehicle project.

Mine Disposal

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for 
	(1)  what reasons he is holding an international competition for a Mine Disposal System;
	(2)  what (a) research and (b) evaluation his Department has carried out on the Archerfish to decide whether it meets the requirements of the Royal Navy for its Mine Disposal System.

Adam Ingram: The requirement for the new single shot Mine Disposal System is subject to international competition in accordance with the Department's Industrial Policy, which will ensure that the most effective system to meet the requirement is obtained, while obtaining value for money for the taxpayer.
	Four proposals have been received from industry, including one for the Archerfish system, and criteria, including operational effectiveness, through life support, safety and commercial aspects are being considered as part of the research and evaluation process. Following initial marking of the proposals, artificial trials in a water tank will be carried out on each system. Those that are successful will then undergo final explosive trials and ship based evaluations before a final decision is made.

Missile Defence Interceptor Missiles

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with the US Administration concerning the deployment of missile defence interceptor missiles in the UK.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham, South (Alan Simpson) on 25 May 2004, Official Report, column 1616W.

Nuclear Safety

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department received copies of a nuclear safety report by John Connor in (a) June and (b) November 2002; and what evaluation has been made of its contents.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 6 May 2004
	In 1998 Mr. Connor submitted a report which was, effectively, a summary of correspondence that had taken place between him and the Ministry of Defence during the previous 20 months.
	In 1999 he submitted an update which, after review, was found to be substantially the same and Mr. Connor was informed that nothing could be added to the MOD's previous exchanges with him. Mr. Connor submitted further updates in November 2000 and June 2002. Again, these did not include any new issues and, as Mr. Connor was aware from previous correspondence that the MOD would not engage further with him unless new issues of substance were raised, a response was not warranted.

Parliamentary Questions

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will furnish a substantive reply to question reference 170228 tabled by the hon. Member for New Forest, East on 28 April 2004.

Adam Ingram: I replied to the hon. Member today.

Premature Voluntary Retirement

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what percentage of premature voluntary retirement applications have been denied for (a) officers and (b) other ranks in all three services in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will list the number of (a) officers and (b) other ranks who (i) applied for premature voluntary retirement and (ii) had their applications accepted in each of the last three years, broken down by regiment; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: Data on applications for Premature Voluntary Release (PVR) are published quarterly in the DASA Armed Forces Personnel Statistics publication Tri Service Publication, TSP 5. Copies of the latest publication (1 April 2004 figures) along with back issues are available in the Library of the House. Published data include officers and other ranks and show applications and actual exits for each of the three services, split by gender. The main difference between the number of applications for PVR and the number of actual exits shown in TSP 5 is due to individual applicants choosing to withdraw their applications whilst serving their notice, not due to applications being refused. PVR rates broken down by regiment are not held centrally and could not be provided without incurring disproportionate costs.
	It is not possible to provide the information requested on those requests for PVR that have been denied as all such information is not held centrally and again could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Generally, denials are possible but are very rare and a deferral of the proposed leaving date is the more usual course of action.

Service Personnel Deaths

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the outcome was of the investigation into the deaths of (a) Sapper Luke Allsopp and (b) Staff Sergeant Simon Cullingworth; whether Her Majesty's Government received a response to it from the families of the men; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The investigation into the deaths of Staff Sergeant Cullingworth and Sapper Allsopp is continuing, and it would be inappropriate to speculate about its outcome. The families of both Servicemen have been regularly updated as to the progress of the investigation.

Signing Off

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) officers and (b) other ranks signed off in each of the three services in each of the last three years; of those, how many were tasked to Iraq after signing off; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: holding answer 8 June 2004
	The term 'signed off' is not recognised within the UK armed forces.

Stockholdings Databases

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the fields of the three services stockholdings databases.

Adam Ingram: I am placing the information requested in the Library of the House.

UN Operations

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2004, Official Report, column 792W, on Operation Telic, when each request was filed; whether it was approved; when the equipment arrived in theatre; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 15 March 2004
	It is not possible to provide the information requested without explaining in detail the full range of Urgent Operational Requirements considered for operations in Iraq. The full list of such UORs is operationally sensitive and I am therefore withholding it under Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

UN Operations

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many cluster bomb-related injuries have been recorded in the British sector of occupied Iraq for each month since the official end of the conflict.

Adam Ingram: We have no viable means of recording the information requested. We do not hold any information in respect of injured persons not treated by UK forces and even for those treated by UK forces it is frequently not possible to identify the cause of shrapnel injuries.

UN Operations

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Iraqis he estimates have been arrested by mistake since the start of the conflict.

Geoff Hoon: When British forces apprehend people suspected of having committed a criminal offence, they are immediately handed over to the Iraq Police Service who arrest, and if appropriate, conduct a prosecution under Iraqi law. We do not hold central records of the outcome of such cases and cannot therefore estimate how many have been prosecuted or the results of such cases. In any event, the fact that an arrest does not ultimately lead to a successful prosecution does not mean that the arrest was either mistaken or unlawful.

UN Operations

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether US intelligence contractors have had access to prisoners under UK jurisdiction.

Adam Ingram: No.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements are in place to ensure the safe operation of United States military unmanned air vehicles while in UK airspace; whether there have been breaches of these arrangements in the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Requests from the US to operate military unmanned air vehicles in UK airspace are handled on a case-by-case basis. To date, there has only been one such request for overflight of UK airspace, which was approved. Stringent procedures are in place to ensure safe operation of such flights. There have been no breaches of these arrangements.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Food Advertising

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had on food advertising during children's programmes; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: I have had a wide variety of discussions on food advertising during children's programmes, particularly in the light of current concerns about the possible impact of broadcast advertising on childhood obesity. This has included discussions at a range of meetings and events with Ministers, MPs, representatives of the food and drink, advertising and broadcasting industries, industry regulators, and consumer groups.
	In December, I asked Ofcom to review the current code regulating broadcast advertising to children, and they will report their findings to me in July. Government policy on this issue will be announced in the autumn as part of the Public Health White Paper.

Golden Jubilee

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which organisations were included in the Golden Jubilee medal distribution; and on what date their inclusion was announced.

Richard Caborn: The medal was issued to serving members of the Armed Forces and Royal Fleet Auxiliary and to the "999" emergency services. Eligibility is restricted to those who completed a minimum of five years' reckonable service on 6 February 2002—the 50th anniversary of the Queen's Accession. This was announced on 4 December 2001.
	The announcement to extend the award to holders of the Victoria Cross and the George Cross was made on 29 April 2003.

Libraries (Bootle)

Joe Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money has been spent on the digitisation of content in libraries in Bootle since 1997.

Estelle Morris: This information is not held centrally.
	The New Opportunities Fund £50 million Digitisation of Learning Materials Programme has delivered 150 projects across the UK to enable resources which support learning of all kinds held in libraries as well as museums, archives and other public-sector institutions, to be made available online through the People's Network and the National Grid for Learning. This initiative has created a body of material containing over 2 million images, tens of thousands of sound and video clips and documents and over 1,000 learning packages. All projects can be accessed via the EnrichUK portal at http://www.enrichuk.net.
	Information on grants awarded to individual local authorities and their expenditure can be obtained from the relevant authority.